Untitled
by andidialed911
Summary: Hollywood Arts is a college, and Beck and Tori are paired together for a script writing project. As they begin to explore each other's ideas, they also begin to explore each other and wonder if they'll fall into a script of their own. Rated M for...basically everything
1. Chapter 1

Hello all! My name is andidialed911, and I am a 21 year old nursing student. This will be the first fanfiction I will have written since the age of about 16/17, and I'd like to try my hand at a Bori story . I was sick for a couple days and started watching victorious, and fell in love. Especially with beck and tori. This will be one with all the characters, but in somewhat different settings. I hope you enjoy!

Premise: Hollywoods Arts is a college, not a high school. Beck and Jade are already famous, and not exactly "close" with the gang. Beck's personality from the show will shine through in certain areas, but I will be adding some twists to his personality. Not exactly sadistic, but a little on the darker side.

I would like to make a blatant statement right now that this story WILL have a MATURE rating. While I'm going to try and make this story as good as I can and am planning on giving it a decent plotline, it will involve drinking, drugs, and a lot of sex and mature situations and language. With all that said, please enjoy:0). And REVIEW! Please:0)

"Ow!" Tori whipped her hand back and forth, as if burned.

"Did you slam your hand in your locker again?" Andre asked, blowing one of his braids out of his eyes. Tori shot him a look, and he just smiled at her. Reluctantly, she smiled back. When she was with her best friend, even his sarcastic feigning of concern was entertaining.

"Shut up," she said, playfully punching his shoulder. He ruffled her hair, and they continued down the hallway.

"I don't see the point of having a locker," Andre said, entering his passcode into his phone and checking his texts. "No other college I have heard of has lockers."

"Yeah, but we're 'special'," Tori said, throwing her fingers up and making air quote marks, "Hollywood Arts only takes 300 students a year. That's in ALL their majors."

"Says the girl who's here on a free ride."

Tori blushed a bit. Andre was the only one who knew that she was here on scholarship, which was unheard of when it came to HA. She didn't want anyone to know, because she didn't want anyone to treat her differently. But that was only one reason. Truthfully, she didn't want any extra expectations and pressures on her shoulders. She never voiced that fear, because she didn't want anyone to think she was conceited.

Andre was at HA for music, and Tori admired his skills on both guitar and keyboard. However, guitar being his true love, Andre constantly had his acoustic strapped to his back. Tori was constantly avoiding being hit. They had met the first day of freshman year two years ago in their first music class. Each student stated, and demonstrated, their major. Tori was here for vocals.

She remembered that first day, being nervous and feeling the dry rot of being breathless rising in her throat. She didn't want to mess up in front of the extremely rich and extremely talented (or both). She wanted to prove she had a right to be here. But then, she heard a slight strumming. Looking over, she saw and heard Andre playing the chord to a simple lullaby. He smiled at her, that reassuring smile that had become her rock. She recognized the tune, and she began to sing.

Tori had made a name for herself that day. Hollywood Arts was a great school in the sense that not only did it provide great classes for any student pursuing the arts, but the school provided great opportunities for their students to break into the entertainment industry. Small movie roles, internships, backup dancers, etc. And it all counted towards their college credits, which is why sometimes Tori found herself in classrooms next to up and coming stars, who came to class when they weren't pursuing their dreams.

Tori had taken part in a few small roles in acting, which was her minor, but she truly wished to break out on the music scene. Some fellow classmates of hers had taken place in broadway productions, television roles, and duets with some up and coming singers. Her friend Robbie teased her, calling her "choosy." But she truly did want to wait for the perfect fit, and the only things she was willing to accept were the things that were appealing to her. Her acting professor, Sikowitz, once said something along the lines of, "Do what speaks to you." Well, that's what she was doing.

"Earth to Tori," Andre said, waving a hand in front of her face. "Victoria Vega, come in."

Tori blinked. They'd somehow made it to their acting class. She honestly didn't remember ever leaving the courtyard.

"Holy…." Tori didn't even finish her sentence, instead bringing her hands to her face and slapping herself on the forehead. "When did we get here?"

"Just in time."

Tori and Andre turned around to Cat's high-pitched voice, her signature giant smile plastered across her face. Robbie smiled awkwardly, being that she was dragging him behind her. They were usually always late, but since they had moved in together off campus, that had been happening a lot more lately. Not that Sikowitz cared. Sticking out of Robbie's backpack was Rex, the ventriloquist puppet he used at his job at the puppet theater down the street. The puppet had basically become one of the group, and Tori couldn't help but shake her head. She loved her friends.

"Everyone settle down," Sikowitz yelled over his students' individual conversations. "Settle, settle. Today we're going to be doing…a script writing exercise!"

The collected amount of groans from his students didn't phase Sikowitz. It didn't seem to phase Robbie either.

"You know," he said, turning to face Tori and Andre, who sat behind him, "I'm really looking forward to this. I've been brainstorming a lot of ideas lately."

"It's true, he has," Cat confirmed, nodding enthusiastically.

"It's going to be the semester project," Sikowitz continued. "The way I see it, your midterm will be presenting me with a script. Nothing too extravagant, but the rough draft WILL be due at that time. Final projects will be the hard copy of the script, and the spring continuation of this class will end with you acting it out. That's your year, that's your grade."

"This is an acting class," a student in the back complained. "Why do we have to write our own scripts?"

"Without scripts there would be no acting!" Sikowitz exclaimed. "Without scripts there would be no passion to feed from. Seeing a script is the first step into becoming someone else."

The whole class quieted. Sometimes, their professor made the transition from basket case to prodigy so quickly that it made their heads spin.

"Of course, no project is complete without throwing a slight wrench in the cogs." He reached behind him and pulled out two top hats, one black and one red. Andre raised his eyebrow.

"From one hat, you will choose the theme for which you will write your play," he gave the black hat a little shake. "From the other, you will choose your partner."

An immediate stream of protests followed his statement.

"Stop, stop!" Sikowitz said. "I understand that some of you play better with others, but the fact is that this is a very tiny, close knit college. I know all of you have spoken to every single person sitting in here at one point or another. No excuses, no reassignments. Now," he said, making a line in the middle of the classroom and pointing to the side that contained Tori and her friends, "This half gets the honor of the choosing. There's an even number of you, so it will be a pair to each theme." And with that, it was done. Sikowitz made a list of names, tore them up, put them in the hat, and sent it around.

Tori placed her head on the desk, dreading sticking her hand inside that hat. With her luck, she'd end up getting her ex-boyfriend, Rider, or someone else she couldn't stand and actively avoided. She felt Andre's reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Don't sweat it, Tori," he said. "There's a chance you'll pick someone you like. Like me."

"Or me," Cat said. "Or Robbie. Or Rex."

"Rex doesn't count, Cat," Tori groaned, sitting up to look up at her. Cat giggled, her breath engulfing Tori's face. Tori's wrinkled her nose and sniffed.

"Cat," Tori said, half exasperated, half amused. "What did I tell you about smoking pot before class?" Cat immediately turned pink.

"Robbie's anxiety was really bad this morning," she protested, shooting her boyfriend a pointed look to keep his mouth shut. "He was talking through Rex again."

"My therapist says it's normal to regress sometimes," Robbie protested. He hadn't been actively talking out of Rex since their freshman year, but ever since they moved in together Cat had been trying to stop it, saying that his addiction to his doll was unhealthy. Tori couldn't help but smile at the irony. The one with addictive personality wasn't Robbie, but the cute little red head sitting in the row in front of her.

Andre grabbed Cat's chin playfully and sniffed at her breath as well. He smiled.

"Is that the strawberry stuff the guy from the dorms was selling?"

"No, it's better," Cat peeped up excitedly. "It's called raspberry lemonade. We have some at home, you and Tori should come over after school!"

"Hell yeah, I'm in," Andre said, leaning back in his chair.

"Me too," Tori shrugged, feeling like she would not mind getting high today. Especially with the bombshell of this final project.

"Ahem."

Tori looked up to see Robbie holding out the hat to her. She glanced at Andre and Cat, who both had slips of paper in their hands already. Reluctantly, she stuck her hand in both the red had and the black hat and then passed them along.

"Baby," Cat pouted, throwing her arms around Robbie's neck. "We aren't partnered together."

"We wouldn't have been," Robbie told her, "We were on the same side of the room." Cat grabbed the slips of paper from Robbie's hand.

"I can fix that!"

Before Robbie could protest, Cat bounded to the front of the classroom to talk to their professor. Andre, behind him, let out a long sigh.

"I got romance. I have to write a romantic script with…" Andre glanced at his other piece of paper, a slight frown crossing his features. "Jade West? THE Jade West?" Robbie let out a gasp of his own.

"Jade hasn't even been in school for the past year."

"I know," Andre said, slapping the desk. "Not since she got signed to be on that new show. There's no WAY I'm doing this project by myself. Isn't this bullshit, Tori?"

But Tori hadn't heard him. She was having similar conflicting thoughts in her own mind. Her partner was also not a regular attendee of their class. Staring down at the slips of paper, Tori made out the word 'tragedy' in her professor's untidy scrawl. She would be writing a tragedy, and she would be writing it with Beck Oliver.

"Beck Oliver?" Robbie asked, throwing his backpack down on the couch as they entered his and Cat's apartment. Andre followed close behind him, then Tori, and then Cat, who was turning in circles and humming a happy tune. Citing Robbie's therapy sessions as concern for "conflicting interests" (whatever that meant), she had managed to get Sikowitz to allow them to be partners. But after that, their teacher slammed an iron fist down on the desk. No more switching of partners.

"Yeah, Beck Oliver," Tori said, plopping her stuff down on the couch with an extra force behind it. "The guy who's been all over the television lately."

"Wasn't he in that movie The Playboy Diaries?" Cat asked, rushing past to the kitchen to grab herself a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Yeah, he played the younger version of the main character," Andre said, taking the water from Cat's hands and helping himself to it. Cat pouted, but chose to get herself another bottle instead. "He was good. Really good."

"He's always been really good," Tori said.

"Then why are you so upset he's your partner?" Cat asked, digging through her purse and pulling out a pack of menthol light cigarettes.

"I thought you quit?" Tori asked dryly.

"Why ARE you so upset Tori?" Andre asked, stealing a cigarette from Cat's pack as well. "He's a nice guy, and I can vouch for that."

"Stop taking my stuff!" Cat protested, snatching back her hand. Robbie chose this moment to peek his head out of the kitchen.

"Hey guys?" he called. "Do you wanna roll some joints or do you just wanna use a bowl?"

"Let's use a bowl," Andre said. "There's too many of us and rolling takes longer."

"Let's use my new one!" Cat exclaimed, grabbing Tori's hand. "It's in the room."

Tori allowed herself to be drug through the tiny hallway to the bedroom Cat and Robbie shared. Though, you wouldn't know it; Cat's personality was everywhere. Their walls were white with stickers of cupcakes all over them, and they had red drawers with glitter. Secretly, Tori knew Robbie didn't mind at all. He'd been chasing Cat for a long time. He'd let her paint him and dress him up if she wanted to. Tori made a mental note never to make that suggestion. She knew Cat would love it.

Cat pulled out a metal card case and dumped out a small bag. Before she knew it, Cat was breaking out two small white lines of cocaine.

"I thought you guys used that stuff already?" Tori asked, eyeing the precision with which the hyper girl shaped the lines straight.

"Robbie and I bought this for that party last week, but before that he saw his shrink, and he told him to lay off the uppers because of his anxiety."

Cat was now rolling up a dollar bill, but continued speaking. "I don't want it to go to waste. Want a line?"

"We're about to get high, I don't like mixing uppers and downers." Cat gave her a knowing look. Tori sighed, taking the dollar bill from her and relenting.

"How long has it been?" Cat asked as Tori inhaled the white powder off the table. Handing Cat back the dollar bill, she held her head back, relishing the feeling. When she opened her eyes, everything seemed a little brighter.

"Since before me and Rider broke up," Tori responded, a slight croak in her voice. Coke always did that to her. Cat sniffed her own line off the table, coughing a bit as she came up.

"I know that was hard Tori, but this is a brand new school year!" Cat exclaimed, dusting off the desk and hiding the evidence. "Brand new classes, brand new projects, brand new everything! And you get to work with a super famous actor, too!"

"Yeah, if he's ever there."

After Sikowitz found out that Andre and Tori had pulled their two famous, and yet virtually nonexistent classmates from the hat, he had explained to them that he would be getting in touch with Beck and Jade within the week to tell them about the project. There was no reassignment. But Sikowitz assured them that even though their two classmates were on the up and coming, they were still students of Hollywood Arts and still required to complete their schoolwork as guidelines showed.

"Is that why you're upset?" Cat asked, hiding the card case and pulling out and intricately blown glass bowl. "Because you feel like your gonna end up doing the project alone?"

"Well yeah," Tori answered. "I didn't really know Beck in school." In fact, Tori didn't think she had caught even a glimpse of Beck since their freshman year. He had always been in and out, acting on the latest thing he could find. He had been Andre's best friend as they were growing up, and even Andre hadn't really spoken to him within the past three months. Tori also knew Andre's partner, Jade West, was Beck's girlfriend. Tori was a little more familiar with her, having gotten into several arguments with her over the past couple of years. She was truly…Tori couldn't think of any better word then to call her a bitch. But ever since she had been casted in the latest gothic themed show on television, Tori hadn't really seen her. She couldn't say she was sorry about that.

"I remember Beck," Cat said. "He was really nice. Don't worry."

"Yeah, don't worry."

Andre appeared in the doorway, startling both Cat and Tori.

"Would you two please come out here with that bowl already? Robbie's getting antsy." Cat shuffled out quickly, a laughing Tori following closely behind.

"Beck? BECK!"

Beck Oliver picked his head up off the table in his dressing room, surprised to see his girlfriend standing there with two cups of coffee in her hands.

"What are you doing here?"

Jade raised an eyebrow. "You asked me to bring you some coffee on my way to the set, remember?"

Beck shook his head, rubbing his eyes. He honestly hadn't remembered asking, but took the coffee from her hands gratefully. He took a sip and tried not to grimace. Jade never made his coffee right.

"You shouldn't be drinking so much, babe," she said, planting a kiss on his lips. She tasted like cigarettes, and Beck bit back a comment. She had been trying to quit, he knew, so he wanted to be supportive. He hated the taste, though.

"I didn't mean to go that far, but it was a good after party," Beck replied, thinking back to the night previous. His director was shouting praises to all his actors, clapping Beck on the back and telling him how he was going places. It was a warm, but empty feeling, as Beck had choked down shots of tequila. Really good, really expensive, and really potent tequila. He had been hugging the toilet since five AM.

"Did you get that email from Sikowitz?" Jade asked, oblivious to the fact that Beck felt like death warmed up. He hugged his abdomen, fighting the bile that was trying to work his way up his throat.

"What email?" Beck asked, taking another sip of his coffee and wincing.

"Obviously you haven't," Jade said, rolling her eyes. "Our projects for our acting class. It's writing a script with a partner and then acting it out by spring." Jade took a sip of her coffee and smiled, and Beck couldn't help but be jealous. He wished his coffee was as enjoyable.

"Okay," Beck said, stretching his arms above his head. "I'm guessing you want to be patners?"

"No," Jade said, surprising Beck with the snarl that only came out when she was angry. "Our partners were already picked, and we have to contact them sometime this week or we'll get points deducted from our grade."

Beck groaned a bit. He knew school was important, but working with a total stranger did not appeal to him. He barely knew his classmates anymore; he hadn't been in school for a while. At least not physically. Jade continued on her tirade.

"I got paired with Andre Harris, and we have to write a comedy." His best friend's name made Beck's ears perk up.

"You got paired with Andre? That's awesome!" Jade shot him a look.

"So you'd rather me work with Andre than you?"

"Jade, don't," Beck said, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. Some of the comments she made sometimes were just ridiculous.

"Fine, I'm late anyway," Jade said, coming forward and placing a quick peck on his lips before walking out the door.

"Who am I paired with?" Beck called after her.

"I don't know, check your e-mail," she called over her shoulder, door slamming with a loud thud. Beck winced; he couldn't handle loud noises just yet.

Knowing his coffee was a lost cause, Beck threw it in the trash and started a walk to the bagel shop across the street to get a new one.

"I'll be back in five minutes," Beck called out to his stage manager, who gave him a curt nod and went back to talking to another actor. The California sun was beautiful, but Beck's hangover kept him from appreciating this beautiful day. Entering the shop across the street, Beck gave the barista his order. Noticing she was squinting at him as if trying to recognize him, Beck quickly put on his sunglasses. Though he'd always been conscious about appreciating his fans, today he was just not in the mood.

While waiting, Beck pulled out his phone to check his email.

Project, huh?

Sure enough, there was the e-mail Jade had spoken of, explaining all the guidelines and goals of the project. Not being in the mood to exactly explore it all just now, Beck scrolled to the bottom, and raised his eyebrow at the familiar name.

Theme: Tragedy

Partner: Tori Vega

I think this is the part where I ask you guys to please review and tell me if you like it or hate it? Please let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

Hi every body! I want to thank every single reviewer who took the time out to tell me what they thought and have urged me to continue:0)

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Trina's apartment was cold. Tori vaguely wondered if her sister had forgotten to turn off the air conditioner as she struggled to find the light switch in the dark. Turning it on, the sudden onset of brightness caused her to squint her eyes in annoyance. The place wasn't as untidy as she was expecting. Turning into the kitchen, Tori saw the signature pack of cigarettes and half drank coffee cup on the table; true proof this was her sister's home. It always smelled like coffee and cigarettes here.

"Trina?" Tori called, not really expecting an answer. Her sister's car wasn't in its usual spot, and Trina usually never hesitated to answer the door for a guest. Even if that guest was her little sister with the spare key. It was late, and Tori figured her sister was out chasing the latest talent scout down or at another audition. She went to so many. Pulling out some leftovers from the previous night and a can of soda, Tori slammed the fridge behind her and made her way to her bedroom.

She didn't actually live with her sister, the bedroom in question being the "guest" room that Trina had never successfully turned into a guest room. Having the full scholarship that she did, Tori had her own private room in the Hollywood Arts dorms. She was only there two days a week, maybe three if Trina was grinding on her nerves especially on some weeks. All her stuff was basically here.

Tori's personality was all over the guest room with the full bed in the corner. She had walls covered with independent movie posters and artwork she had bought off street vendors in the past. Photographs from various artists were side by side with pictures of Andre, Robbie, and Cat. A picture of Trina even popped up once in a while. On her ceiling one night during their freshman year, she and Cat had painted endless stars in glow paint while under the influence of acid. The irony of how well everything came out wasn't lost on her.

Trina scoffed at Tori's room, preferring to keep her room in a complete prim and proper state. Even in the privacy of her own home, Trina was always playing some sort of role. Tori worried about her sister, whose desperation for her childhood dream of becoming famous led her into many sticky situations. Trina held her own, though, making enough money from her small roles as extras or in promotional posters to get by and live. But other times, she would not do so well. Tori would help her with her rent during those times, which was probably why Trina didn't mind her setting up her own corner of the universe across the hall.

Tori studied for a little bit, attempting to write songs for her music class and then reading up on classic tragedy plays, trying to draw inspiration from anything she could find. She had nothing. Exasperated, she made her way to the kitchen and grabbed one of Trina's cigarettes from her pack. Lighting it, Tori inhaled and quickly made her way to the balcony. She had always hated smoking inside the house.

She stared at the Los Angeles city lights, watching as her smoke curled in the air in front of her and followed the canyon winds. Rider hated smoking; they hadn't even been together that long before he had made her quit. And she had, even after they had broken up. She missed it sometimes, but had ignored the itch to light one up until today. She wasn't one to get stressed. Today had been one of her rare exceptions.

She took another pull, closing her eyes and thinking back over her day. She, Andre, Cat, and Robbie had been at Andre's house, attempting to start their projects. Andre lived with his grandmother in a beautiful house out in the Santa Ana valley, but she was on a cruise for the next two weeks with her friends from her Bingo club. Tori was glad; Andre's grandmother was sweet, but Tori swore the woman was a schizophrenic. They had all sat in a circle on the soft carpet, bouncing ideas off of each other while eating marshmallows and Smarties, Cat's latest obsessions. Tori felt like her head had split open two hours and no good ideas later. At some point, Cat had slapped the sweets out of Robbie's hand, stating that she didn't want the sugar to hype him up and trigger his anxiety. Robbie had protested, and the small argument had turned into a full-blown tickle fight and chase, both heading upstairs and never coming back down.

"No fucking in my grandma's room or my room!" Andre called up the stairs. "And I swear to God if you guys don't close the door this time, I'm going to break Rex and your new bowl, Cat!" Somewhere from the depths of the second floor, Andre heard Cat's squeal of protest. Andre and Tori laughed, heading onto the terrace of the old house. Andre grabbed his guitar on the way out. The sun was starting to set and Tori stretched, the sun's evening rays pleasant on her stomach as her shirt rode up. She caught Andre staring out of the corner of her eye.

"You're staring," she teased, and Andre reached out and smacked the back of her head.

"Hush," he said, smiling. Tori giggled and sat on the ledge, legs dangling.

"Have you heard from your wonderful project partner?" Tori asked him, watching as he took a seat on one of the lawn chairs and began to strum hesitantly on his guitar.

"Surprisingly, yes," Andre said, the music going from hesitant strums to song chords. "She sent me an e-mail at five in the morning."

"Really?" Tori asked, eyebrow raised. "How'd that go?"

"Well, she wasn't exactly too happy about the idea of writing a romance. She wasn't too happy about the fact that she couldn't pick her partner, and wasn't happy that this project required her coming to school every once in a while. So, overall, I'd say it went pretty well."

"Liar."

"Just a little bit," Andre said. "She left me her phone number, and then she somehow texted me, telling me that she'd be coming to school at some point next week when she had a day off."

"How'd she text you without you giving her your phone number?" Tori asked, jumping down onto her feet and swaying to Andre's guitar beat.

"How the hell should I know?" Andre asked, changing the song to a more dancy beat. "She's a witch, that's why."

"She only plays one on TV," Tori said, rolling her eyes. "She probably just asked someone at school that she still talks to. You need to stop sleeping around, Andre."

"Hey!" Andre protested, breaking his stride a bit to point a finger at her. "That is not what I do. I-"

"'Enjoy the company of beautiful women,'" Tori cut him off, finishing his age old statement. "Yes, yes, I know. I'm just saying, that shit might get you in trouble."  
"I'd be loyal to the right one," Andre said, going back to the song he was playing. Tori didn't fight him on that one.

"So, anyway," Andre said, "what about you? You heard from Beck?"

"I actually haven't," Tori said, sitting in the chair beside her friend. "Sikowitz said I have a couple more days before I should be upset, but guess what? I'm already upset."

"The project was only assigned a couple days ago, Tori," Andre said, placing his guitar at his side. "Don't get so worked up. Why don't you send him an email through school?"

"Sikowitz said Beck doesn't check his school email since he's been getting more popular. Everyone and their mother sends him emails through it, so Sikowitz uses a private account that he's not allowed to give out."

"Want me to call him?" Andre said, taking out his phone. "It's been a while, but I'm pretty sure this is still his number."

"No," Tori said, feeling embarrassed. "I don't want to call someone I've never spoken to before. What if he doesn't even know about the project?"

"I'm sure he knows, Tori. Don't worry about him. Why don't you try and just brainstorm a little more so you know what to talk about when you do get to talk to him? Draw from personal experiences instead of books."

"Ugh," Tori said, placing her face in her hands. "The only tragedy happening around me is getting an absentee partner and that my sister won't stop sleeping with anyone she feels is going to help her become a celebrity." Andre winced, patting Tori on the shoulder.

"Ouch with the honesty," he said. "Well… you don't have to think about around you. What about inside you? Your relationships, or recent lack thereof?" Tori visibly stiffened.

"I told you I would talk about it when I was ready."

"I know you did," Andre said, clearly getting frustrated. "I understand that, but it's been months now. I don't even know what happened between you two. All I know is you show up at my house one night looking like you've been fighting and you were crying."

"I told you nothing happened," Tori said, looking straight at him. She hadn't been lying when she told him that. Rider had not hit her, and hadn't forced her into anything.

"Yes, yes, virginity still in tact, I know," Andre said, earning himself a smack.

"Shhhh!" Tori said, turning red. "Can't you keep your voice down?"

"Whatever Tori," Andre said, standing up to go inside. She reached out, grabbing the back of his shirt. She didn't want her best friend to be mad at her. After a minute, Andre exhaled a loud sigh and turned to face her. His eyes showed no anger.

"I'm sor-"

"Don't," Andre said, a warm smile crossing his features. "But don't shut me out, Tor. Robbie or Cat either. We love you. And not the way Rider did. We actually mean it."

"I know," Tori said, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. "I know." They stood there for a minute, only being interrupted by Cat, who showed up between them, wrapped only in a sheet. Andre slapped a hand to his face.

"Really, Cat?" he asked. "Please tell me you at least have underwear on."

"I can't find them, Robbie threw them somewhere," she pouted, earning a laugh from her two best friends. "But I found that bag of weed he lost the other day in his hoodie! It's really strong stuff, the guy who sold it to him said it came from overseas. Who's in?!"

Andre bounded off after Cat back into the house, claiming of course he was in but it required both her and Robbie being fully clothed. Tori stuck her hands into her pockets and followed close behind, thankful the little red head had put a halt to that awkward conversation.

Tori took a final pull of the cigarette in her hand, flicking the filter off the balcony and hoping it didn't hit a random passerby. She steadied herself against the railing; not smoking for a while had left her light headed. A chill from the nearby beach caused the hair to rise on her arms, making her retreat back inside.

She sighed. She, Andre, Cat and Robbie had all smoked, laughing and were once again bouncing ideas off of each other. She was jealous of Robbie and Cat's creativity, which the weed had definitely bolstered. Their theme was comedy, so they were having no problem pulling good ideas out of the air and writing them down in Robbie's notebook. Andre had put on a movie, and they had all curled up on the couch to watch it. She didn't remember falling asleep, but when she had awoken hours later, all her friends were still sleeping soundlessly. Tori didn't want to bother them, but instead threw the blankets from the couch over all of them. Burnt out and wanting to sleep in her own bed, Tori made the drive home to the empty apartment.

Settling in her bed, laptop on her lap, she leaned against her pillows and once again began to research old plays and movies about tragedies. Eventually, she fell asleep.

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Andre stirred, kicking something heavy off of him in the process. It took him a moment to register that it was the blanket from the couch. He looked up, the glow from the TV bright. Tori was nowhere to be found. It was dark outside, and the glowing numbers on his watch showed it was well after nine. When had he fallen asleep?

Sitting up, Andre accidentally felt his elbow hit another limb. Looking over, he realized it was Cat's ankle. The rest of her was curled up into Robbie, a serene smile on both their faces. The scene was very peaceful, only to be interrupted by his doorbell. Andre winced; he never realized it was so loud.

Getting up, he stretched and headed towards the door. He honestly couldn't think about who would be visiting him this time of night. Fearing it was his grandma, Andre stopped his advance toward the door. Then he shook his head. He was being stupid. Even if his grandma wasn't a good thousand miles away, she did have a key. Andre opened the door, and his breath caught in his throat. Even his grandma would have been less of a surprise than who was standing on his welcome mat.

"Beck Oliver, as I live and breathe."

Beck held his hand up in a slight wave. He looked exactly the same as the last time Andre had seen him, hair in his lazy eyes and the nonchalant smile on his face.

"Hey Andre," he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Even the close friendship the two shared wasn't enough to hide the fact that they hadn't spoken in a long time.

"Gonna invite me in?" Beck asked, and Andre stepped aside, allowing Beck to pass him. Walking into the living room, Beck was grateful he had been looking down. If he hadn't, he may have stepped on Robbie's face. Turning to face Andre, Beck gave him a questioning look.

"Good weed," Andre said, kneeling down to tuck the blanket tighter around the couple.

"Ah," Beck said. "Sounds good. Got any left?"

"Not this shit, but I have some upstairs. It's not as good, though."

"That's fine," Beck said, slightly in disbelief that he and Andre had so easily fallen back into the easy conversation that made up a lot of their friendship. He followed Andre up the stairs to his room. Stepping into it, Beck felt like he had stepped back in time. The same giant poster of Jimi Hendrix, the same turtle tank that hadn't housed a turtle since they were in the third grade. It now held old video games. He had pictures tucked into the different corners of the room, mismatched socks still on the floor. Andre's bed was still in the same corner, and there was the small futon couch across from it. Beck spent a lot of time here, with that same TV between them, playing the latest game system on the market.

Andre dug in his drawer, pulling out his bowl and a small bag of weed. Beck took a seat on the futon, feeling the familiar creak beneath him. While Andre filled the bowl, Beck attempted to continue the conversation.

"Was that Robbie Shapiro and Cat Valentine?" he asked, remembering the bright red hair of Cat and the puppet of Robbie from their freshman year of college.

"Yeah," Andre said, picking out stems and seeds. "They're dating now."

"Really?" Beck asked, surprise in his voice. "Wow."

"Tell me about it," Andre said, laughing as he searched his pockets for a lighter. "I never thought it would happen. He's been chasing her since high school." He lit the bowl and took a hit, coughing as he passed the bowl to Beck, which he accepted gratefully.

"Well…that's great."

"Yeah, it is."

Taking his own hit, Beck breathed in deep. He felt the smoke burn his throat as it went down, the taste potent on his tongue. He closed his eyes and imagined the smoke swirling in his blood, filling up his whole body. As he exhaled, a long moment passed. Suddenly, Andre smacked his hands together.

"Okay. I'm just gonna ask the obvious question, dude. What are you doing here?"

Being direct wasn't exactly Andre's style, but Beck honestly couldn't blame him. Years of friendship entitled him to ask whatever he wanted honestly. So Beck wanted to answer honestly.

"I don't know." Andre considered this, not showing that he was offended, but rather taking another hit and continuing his questioning.

"Dude," Andre said, a puff of smoke blowing into Beck's face as he did. "Don't think I'm mad. I'm not. I'm very happy for you. You've wanted to be an actor since we were ten. And it's pretty cool to be able to say one of your best friends is famous."

Beck smiled, in spite of the heavy undertones of the conversation. He took another pull of the bowl, coughing a little less. It had been too long since he smoked.

"I'm not mad," Andre said again. "But I have to admit, I'm a little surprised to see you, considering you haven't answered any of my calls in the past few months. Did you get a new phone number?"

"No, just a new phone," Beck said, guilt rising up with the smoke he was exhaling. "I've just been bus-"

"I understand you've been busy, Beck," Andre said, taking the bowl from him. "What I don't understand is why you haven't returned any of my texts or calls."

There was a silence in the air, and Beck realized he was right. With the rising fame, Beck told himself to always be conscious of fans. And yet, his best friend didn't deserve the same respect? Beck remembered some of the times when he had seen Andre's texts light up his screen. He'd been fucked up every time. A specific night, one filled with neon shots and rainbow pills came to mind. He remembered seeing the name and reaching out, but the phone seemed so far away. The next thing he remembered was waking up, the phone cracked next to him. He had managed to save the number, but had never returned the call.

"…I'm an asshole," Beck said, feeling the head rush of being high. He felt like his voice had dropped four octaves. "I wish I had something better to say man, but I can't. All I can say is I'm sorry."

Neither said anything, and the only sound between them was Andre tapping the bowl in his hand. The dull thudding sound made Beck jump in his skin every time he heard it. Each thud was like a ticking on the clock as he waited for Andre to say something.

Suddenly, Andre started laughing. Beck's head shot up, wondering if he really was hearing laughter.

"Fuck…Am I that high?"

Andre laughed harder, and, despite himself, Beck started laughing too. It was the kind of laugh that made him feel like his ribs were breaking. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Andre finally cleared his throat to speak.

"You know, for a guy who's a damn good actor, you suck at apologies." Andre said, making a face as he reached his hand out towards Beck to shake. "Apology accepted, dude. We all fuck up sometimes, right?"

"You have no idea," Beck said, reaching out his own hand and grabbing his best friend's. It was a simple happiness. Beck didn't delve into thought, but he knew that simple happiness was something he had been lacking lately.

"So, you never answered my question," Andre said, taking a seat and beginning to pack the bowl for a second time. Beck raised his eyebrow.

"What question?"

"What are you doing here?"

Beck sat as well, grateful for the couch underneath him, even though it wasn't soft in the slightest.

"Well, for starters, I heard about the project. And your partner." Andre grimaced.

"How is Jade, anyway?" he asked, lighting up the bowl once again and inhaling.

"She's good," Beck said, head swimming as he thought about his girlfriend. "She's good."

"Still happy?"

"Still happy."

"Huh," Andre said. "Hate me for saying I'm surprised?"

"Not surprised you're surprised," Beck said, taking a hit of the bowl. "She's not the easiest person to get along with. I wish you luck working with her. Not even I've done that."

"Thanks, buddy," Andre said, sarcastic drawl accompanying a cough. "I'd wish you the same luck, but you're a lucky bastard."

"Am I?"

"Yeah. You have Tori."

"I saw that," Beck said, swallowing another mouthful of smoke. "Who is she?"

As he exhaled, coughing as he went, Andre pointed to a photo on the wall.

"One on the right."

Through a smoky haze, Beck approached the photo. It was a picture of Cat and another girl, both wearing matching leopard print dresses. Where as Cat was small, warm, and vibrant, the girl next to her was tall, thin, and a beauty on the cooler side of the color palate. The first thing he noticed about her were her cheek bones; they were very prominent and smooth, like a sculpture. She looked familiar. Where had he seen her before?

"She's pretty," Beck said. "I feel like I've seen her before."

"I don't doubt that," Andre said, coming up beside him. "Our school is so small."

"What's her major?"

"Vocals."

"Can she sing?"

Andre shot him an incredulous look.

"You have no idea."

Beck smirked, holding his hands up in a surrender position.

"Just a question man. I don't even know her, remember?"

"Well, you're about to," Andre said. "You guys have that project to do together. And she's freaking out that you guys haven't talked about it."

"It's only been a couple of days," Beck said. Andre smiled.

"I told her that. But that's Tori for you."

"I gotta get out of here, man," Beck said, starting for the door. "I have work tomorrow. But just give her my number and tell her to call me."

"I'll walk you out," Andre said, following him down the stairs. "I can't tell her to call you, though."

"What? Why?"

"Tori doesn't like talking to strangers on the phone," Andre said, chuckling slightly. Beck raised an eyebrow.

"Okay… well, I guess I'll be in school on Monday."

"That will work. Be safe, man. You sure you're okay to drive?"

"Yeah," Beck said, loving the cool breeze on his face. "The cold air will do me good. I'll see you on Monday."

"See ya. Oh, and Beck?"

"Yeah?" his friend asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Pretty doesn't do her justice."

Beck said nothing, but silently he agreed with his friend.

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Please read and review! Let me know what you think! And once again much appreciation to everyone who's been kind enough to review. It feels good to be writing again.:0)


	3. Chapter 3

Hello Everybody! Once again thank you so much and enjoy! :0)

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Jade felt poised. She felt elegant. Beck always made her feel like this.

Beck lay beneath her, his eyelids half closed and breathing ragged breaths. She thrust her hips a little harder, just to hear his breathing spike. There was a certain pride that swelled inside of her whenever that happened. She leaned forward, her hair spilling onto his face as she pressed her lips to his. She opened her eyes a little, and saw that his were still closed. She didn't know why, but she was a little disheartened by it. She always wondered what she'd looked like through his eyes. She rocked her hips harder and kissed him again, feeling the catch in his throat when he finally finished.

Jade rolled off him, her breathing returning to normal as she wrapped herself in the sheet. She was still hot, but she wanted to put her clothes back on. She needed a cigarette, and she knew better than to smoke in the house.

"Where are you going?" Beck asked as she stood, but she just gave him a look. He should have already known. He sighed, turning away and getting himself dressed.

"I don't know why you hate it so much," Jade said, a little annoyed when she saw he was actually getting ready for bed. "You used to smoke, too."

"Yeah, well I don't anymore," Beck replied, pulling pajama pants over his boxers. Jade, surprised at herself, just turned and made her way out to the balcony. She didn't want to fight right now. Fighting after sex was always something she avoided actively. Even she, with her combative spirit, had to draw the line somewhere.

Lighting up, Jade inhaled and she couldn't help but smile. There was some truth in the saying that a cigarette after sex was satisfying. She glanced behind her and saw that Beck was already lying in his bed, arm draped over his eyes. Whenever he did that, it meant their night was drawing to a close and she would have to go soon. She thought back to the time when he still lived in the trailer in his parents' driveway, before they had both started getting the roles that had started their careers.

Jade had immediately moved out of her parents' house. It wasn't that she didn't love them, and they honestly hadn't been all that surprised. Jade had always been a loner. Beck was different though. He had made that little trailer his home, and Jade was convinced that if she hadn't kept bugging him, he probably still would have stayed there. The apartment itself was very plain. He had little bits of his personality in places; there were posters of classic movie actors and his CDs and books were awkwardly shoved onto different places on the shelves. He kept his notebooks where he wrote thoughts and scripts in a drawer by his bed, and his laptop on top of that. Other than that, the little apartment was basically bare. The stark white walls just seemed to close in, but that didn't bother Beck. A lot of things didn't bother Beck.

Jade walked back into his room and heard the soft, even breathing of sleep. She wanted to wake him up, and usually on other nights she would have. But she had to get going herself, seeing as she had to be on the set early again tomorrow. Her job was tiring, but she loved it and loved the role she was currently portraying. She kissed his lips softly and waited. He didn't wake up. This usually wasn't a surprise, but Beck had actually gone to bed sober this night. When alcohol wasn't coursing through his blood, Beck was usually a light sleeper.

Jade walked out, locking the door behind her, and started home. She knew Beck had been tired from work, but that didn't usually stop him from consuming some sort of elicit substance after he had stepped off the set. It wasn't that Beck didn't spend his nights sober, but Jade couldn't help but be surprised that he didn't choose the other option. He'd been choosing it a lot more over the past year.

Jade saw the streetlights pass over her little car in waves as she got on the ramp to the highway. Being in the Los Angeles area always guaranteed that she would never be alone on the roads, but tonight the cars were relatively light. It was the perfect atmosphere for a contemplative drive.

Beck loved acting, but everyone knew he wanted to be a director one day. He wanted nothing more than to bring the whole story, rather than the single actor, to life. She remembered when she had met him their freshman year, the way his eyes lit up when he talked about it. The drive that had first taken her in. She didn't even know how she had ended up his girlfriend, and despite her bitch attitude, it wasn't lost on her that she was lucky. She had a great guy, who looked enough past her attitude to get to know and even date her. They were so different, and maybe that's why sometimes she felt the insecurity roll off of her in waves. Unfortunately, it usually manifested in an attitude that was the cause of many fights. And yet, they had managed to make it through those things.

Jade didn't want to think about the future too much. She knew that she was still young, but she couldn't help but wonder about how she and Beck would turn out with time. She imagined their careers growing, and them growing together. She never told him that, but she did think about it. All the time.

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Tori had texted Andre to tell him she wouldn't be making it to their first class. He had immediately responded with "What's wrong?" She didn't answer, but had instead gotten ready for school deliberately slow, assuring that she would miss the class. Robbie and Cat had also sent concerned text messages when she didn't show up. Tori was never one to skip class, especially not her first one, because it was vocals. She had always been grateful that was how her Monday mornings began. It had always made the dreaded start of the school/work week a little more bearable. Tori had actually lost guest spots on certain TV shows because they would not accept her request to not work Monday mornings. Her stubbornness was famous among her peers.

Tori had made it to school in time for her dance class, and she dropped her bag angrily on the ground. The action had not gone unnoticed by her teacher, whom Tori had a love/hate relationship with. The class always started with the class dancing together, and then continued with either breaking into groups or performing individual pieces. The opening dance today was a slow, classical music beat. Tori was pissed; her mood wasn't meant to be synced up with the melody. She could usually dance, but her body was stiff with anger this morning. This didn't go unnoticed by her teacher, either. They had broken into group exercises, but just as class was ending Tori's teacher called out to her.

"Vega, why don't you do an individual dance for us?"

Tori glared daggers at her teacher, whose cool and solemn expression didn't falter. Making a point to sigh loudly, Tori came to the center of the class, raising her arms and getting ready for the music. When the it started, Tori was surprised. The music was an angry, sultry Latin beat. Tori raised an eyebrow at her professor, but the look in her eyes was clear. Dance.

Tori started to shuffle her feet, her body loosening with the angry vibrations of the music. In some way, she was grateful. She twirled, moved her hips, and stomped, the routine becoming easier and more natural as she went. Tori hoped her stress would fall off like a second skin, maybe transforming her back to her peaceful self.

She closed her eyes and thought of the night before. It had been bad. She had been having dreams. They didn't always come, but when they did, it was like watching a bad movie on repeat all night. These dreams were focusing on her breakup with Rider, and they were bombarding her to the point that she had woken up with a headache and crying. She had gone to the kitchen and as she poured herself a glass of water, she couldn't help but feel she somewhat deserved the sleepless night. She knew ignoring the issues wasn't good for her. Before Tori could delve any deeper into her thought process, however, she heard the front door open, followed by a loud crash.

Tori rushed to the doorway to find Trina face down on the floor, giggling to herself and barely moving. She reeked of alcohol, and as Tori bent down to help her sister, she noticed Trina's dress was unbuttoned and disheveled. She didn't look at her as she helped her to her feet. Trina leaned on her, the heels on her feet making her a good three inches taller than her little sister.

"Tori," she slurred, voice heavy with alcohol. "What are you doing up? It's so late. Don't you have to go to that big, fancy college of yours tomorrow?" Tori ignored Trina's comment and helped her to her room, sitting her on her bed and digging through drawers looking for a pair of sweat pants and a tank top to dress her in. Trina kicked off her heels, one of them colliding with a hard thud against one of Tori's calves. She winced, but continued on.

"You don't have to dress me," her sister told her indignantly. "I can dress myself."

"Be quiet, Trina," Tori said, as she removed her sister's earrings and necklace. Trina giggled, taking the necklace from her sister and twirling it between her fingers.

"Mr. Stewart liked this."

"Who's Mr. Stewart?" Tori asked, already dreading the answer.

"This producer I met when I was working on that movie last month," Trina slurred, raising her arms and allowing Tori to pull the dress off of her. She wasn't wearing underwear, and Tori went back to the drawers to look for a pair of those.

"He was so nice to me," Trina said, unhooking the bra she was wearing as Tori shoved a pair of underwear in her hands. "He took me out to dinner."

Tori turned and pretended to arrange things so that her sister could put her panties on.

"Did he?" Tori said, turning again and relieved to find that Trina had not only put on her underwear, but her tank top and pants as well.

"He did," Trina slurred, getting up and pulling a pack of cigarettes out of her purse. Tori led her to the balcony, bolstering her as they went. Even without the heels on, her sister could barely take two steps without stumbling. Tori lit her sister's cigarette and took one for herself, already feeling the stress building in her stomach. It was only when Trina had herself leaned against the balcony that Tori allowed herself to take a look at her sister's face. Her mascara and eyeliner were running, her pupils pinpricks. Her lipstick was smudged around her mouth and Tori noticed a cut on her lip as well.

"Trina, did he do anything to you?" Tori asked, a little worried about her sister's state. She would have been more worried if this hadn't been a repeat of so many nights in the past.

"He did something for me, alright," Trina said, giggling again and coughing. "I got a guest role on that show 'Blind Ties." Six episode contract. I'm so happy."

"Trina, how can you do this to yourself?" Tori asked, anger flaring. "You're so much better than that. You don't need to-"

"Oh look who's talking," Trina said, turning haphazardly to face her sister. Tori was taken aback. The anger blazing in her sister's eyes cooled Tori's own anger so quickly. "Don't you dare judge me, Ms. Tori, talent, full scholarship everyone loves me Vega! Just shut the fuck up."

"Trina-" Tori began, but her big sister cut her off again.

"You've never had to work hard. You sing one song one day and all of a sudden, talent scouts want you and you're living your dreams. You can even afford to be picky. Must be nice, not having to scrape the bottom of the barrel. Everyone thinks I followed you out here to try and make money off your fame. Because you were the one who was gonna be famous, the whole God damn time we were growing up. Well guess what? It's my dream too. You're not the only one who's gonna be famous."

"Trina," Tori said, her heart wrenching as her sister's confession settled in. "Please."

"Just shut the fuck up, Tori," Trina spat, throwing her half lit cigarette at her sister's hair. Tori ducked. "Ms. Righteous and wonderful. The golden angel with a chastity belt that she's too fucking scared to take off. No wonder Rider dumped you."

Tori slapped her before she could even register what she was doing. Trina quieted, holding her hand to her cheek. Both sisters said nothing for a long time. Finally, Tori broke the silence.

"I'm happy for you, getting that part and all," Tori said, her voice ice cold with anger. With that, she turned and went back inside, lying in her bed and just staring at the ceiling. She hadn't even heard Trina come back inside before she had dozed off.

Tori felt the music wind down, and with it she winded down her movements. When it stopped, she still kept her eyes closed. She could feel the thumping of her heartbeat as she fought to breathe normally. She opened her eyes, but kept them cast low. No one in her class said anything.

"Beautiful, Ms. Vega," her professor said, a cautious approach in her voice. "Very powerful." Suddenly, one lone person started clapping. Tori turned and was surprised to find Beck Oliver standing in the doorway, still clapping, as if he knew her personally. She locked eyes with him and immediately felt uncomfortable. His eyes were honest and open, probing even. And right now they were curious.

"Tori."

Tori thought that Beck had called her name, but it wasn't him. It took her a second to register that beside Beck stood Andre, Cat, and Robbie. How long had they been standing there? Andre cleared his throat to address her again.

"Hey Tor, look who decided to come to school today."

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"I can't believe we're sitting with a celebrity," Cat gushed, taking a bite of her sandwich. Beck rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile at the redhead.

"Cat, for the tenth time," Beck said gently. "I'm not a celebrity."

"Bullshit," Andre said, playfully punching his best friend in the arm.

"I have to agree, Beck," Robbie said, coming to sit beside Cat with a tray. "I saw the 'Playboy Diaries,' and you were really good."

"Thanks," Beck said, taking a sip of his soda through his straw.

Tori said nothing.

Beck felt, in some odd way, that she was mad at him. He knew logically that she couldn't be; they still hadn't officially said two words to each other. But she had refused to look at him since her dance class.

Beck showing up at school wasn't lost on the student body. A lot of people he had never met, and a few he had, had been coming up to him all day. There were so many questions he tried to answer, some he couldn't, and some he blatantly chose not to. He was so grateful to see Andre's familiar face appear in the crowd. He was even more grateful when his best friend grabbed him by the arm and ran, telling the crowd sorry but they were late for their class. Down the hallway and a slammed door later, Andre turned to his friend and smiled.

"You really know how to make an entrance, don't you, Mr. Hollywood?" Beck smiled, choosing to ignore the comment and take a seat. It was good to see some of his old friends, and soon the redhead and guy with the glasses Beck recognized from Andre's house came through the door, taking a seat on either side of him. He introduced himself, Cat gushing and Robbie stammering.

"We had class together before, right?" Beck asked Cat.

"Yes!" Cat squealed, starting to giggle. "I can't believe you remember me."

"It wasn't that long ago," Beck said, refraining from rolling his eyes. He looked over at Andre, and instead of finding his best friend following along with the playful conversation, saw a concerned furrow in his brow instead.

"What's wrong?" Beck asked.

"Tori's not coming to class." Beck didn't see this as a big deal, but then Cat gasped and Robbie's face changed to mirror Andre's concern.

"She never misses Vocals, though!" Cat said, immediately taking out her phone. No doubt she was sending her friend a text message. Beck turned and was surprised to find Robbie doing the same thing on his left.

"What's the big deal?" Beck asked, earning him an incredulous look from Cat. Beck raised an eyebrow at Andre.

"Tori never misses Vocals. Ever." The ominous tone in his friend's voice was interrupted by their professor coming in, surprised to see Beck there, herself. After quizzing him on how life had been so far, she finally started class, calling a student from the far end of the room to sing. Beck couldn't really pay attention though. The girl's voice was fine, but he couldn't help but wonder at the concern radiating from the three people around him. Once class ended, Cat jumped up.

"Tori's next class is dance. Let's go, Robbie!" And with that, the redhead grabbed her boyfriend and zoomed out of the classroom. Beck looked at Andre, wondering what they were going to do next. His best friend read his mind.

"Just follow her."

Beck and Andre walked at a slower pace, and Beck couldn't help but humor the fact that if Cat were a cartoon character, there would have been a line of smoke behind her.

"Is it really that big of a deal?" Beck asked. "The fact that Tori didn't come to class?"

"Tori never misses class unless she's on a job," Andre said, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder. "But the thing is, she NEVER misses vocals. She's lost parts on shows and advertisements because she doesn't miss it."

"Why's she do that?" Beck asked incredulously, never having heard of any student at HA giving up opportunities for their own classes. Andre shrugged.

"Tori's just special." The affection in Andre's voice didn't go unnoticed by Beck, but before he could ask him about it, he felt a tug on his arm. Looking down, he saw Cat.

"Come on!" she said, pulling both Beck and Andre by the hand. He couldn't believe this was the same girl who was shocked that he remembered her only an hour earlier. Robbie was already standing in front of the classroom door. Cat was pacing and anxious, and yet no one went to open the door. As he reached for the knob, Robbie grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"Uh, Beck," Robbie began, clearing his throat. "I know it's been a while, but just so you know, no one interrupts Kayla's class."

"Who?"

"The dance professor," Andre explained. "She'll bite your head off if you interrupt her class. We should just wait." So they did wait. Robbie and Cat sat together, writing and scribbling and then writing again in a notebook. Beck talked about his latest roles with Andre, but every once in a while Andre would disconnect from the conversation to start one of his own with Robbie and Cat. Watching them, Beck felt strangely isolated. They were all waiting here for one girl, just because she didn't come to her first class. Suddenly, Cat sat up and loudly clapped her hands.

"Tori's class should be done by now."

Beck slowly opened the door, the three others behind him. The class was starting towards the door and Beck saw the girl from the picture adjusting the strap on her black leotard.

"Tor-" Andre had started to call out, but a voice interrupted everyone and made the class turn.

"Vega, why don't you do an individual dance for us?" Beck watched with a raised eyebrow as Tori turned to stare at her teacher, not saying anything. After a moment and a long sigh, Tori made her way to the middle of the floor. A loud, angry beat started to pulse through the air. And after a moment, Tori started to move.

Beck watched her move, taking in the way she dipped her body and moved her hips. Tori's body started stiff but quickly turned into fluid, her arms and legs in sync with the music. Her hair was loose around her face, the dark brown locks flying in the breeze. She kept her eyes closed the whole time, and the pained look on her face drew him in. He had to force himself to take his eyes off her.

He knew he wasn't the only one. Glancing to his side, Beck saw his three friends watching her with a certain type of reverence. No one in the class was having any side conversations, and her teacher was watching intently. Tori didn't notice any of that though, her body becoming wilder with the climax of the music. And suddenly, it was winding down. She twirled, the hair falling away from her face so that everyone could see her. Then she stopped, head down. No one said anything. Beck heard a muted "wow," leave Robbie's mouth. The teacher was the first to break from the trance.

"Beautiful, Ms. Vega. Very powerful."

Beck started clapping, the sounds of his hands seeming to break everybody from their spell as well. He couldn't help but clap, seeing as the performance he had just witnessed really was beautiful. Tori turned wildly, as if someone had fired off a gunshot. That was when he met her eyes. They were brown, but he knew that from the picture. What he didn't know was the depth he would find. For a second, he thought he saw hurt in her eyes. But that was quickly replaced by indifference.

The indifference still hadn't faded as she slowly ate her French fries. Beck couldn't help but watch her, noticing that when addressed directly by one of her friends that her face changed from gloomy to bright, as if she was acting for their sakes. He wondered if anyone else had seen it. Deciding to break the ice, Beck cleared his throat and addressed her.

"That dance you did was really beautiful."

Tori looked up, her mouth forming a surprised O. It was as if she had completely forgotten he was there.

"Thank you," she said, the cheer in her voice feeling a little too forced. Cat, not picking up on this, cut in.

"It WAS!" Cat gushed, grabbing her friend's arm and squeezing. "Is that why you didn't come to vocals? Because you were practicing that dance?" Tori took a long sip of her soda before she answered Cat's question.

"No… just had some problems with Trina last night." Beck looked at her face, the way her eyes went downcast when she said this. He didn't know anything about this girl, but he knew that the story she was telling wasn't as nonchalant as she was conveying.

"She come home plastered again?" Andre asked.

"Something like that," Tori said, taking another bite of her French fries. Robbie sighed.

"Don't worry, Tori, I'm sure she's recovering well today. You know Trina."

"A little too well," Tori sighed.

"That's not all that's bothering you, is it?"

Tori's head shot up at Beck's question. She tilted her head, as if analyzing him. Truthfully, he was doing the same to her. He didn't even mean to ask the question aloud; it had honestly come out accidentally.

"Of course it is," Tori said, her smile a little to forced. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"It just doesn't seem like it," Beck said. He had honestly meant the comment well intentioned, but the look in Tori's eyes told him he had crossed a line. Andre shot him a confused look. It took Beck a second to realize that Andre hadn't seen through Tori's story. It wasn't a lie, but Beck could see something was wrong in her eyes. They were open eyes, the kind that told all.

"It just sounds like there's more to it."

"There's not," Tori said, slurping the rest of her soda up, the sound loud and obnoxious in the air. "Okay?" He just stared at her, and she at him. He had it a nerve. She kept eye contact, but Beck knew she would be the first to break it. He had no problem looking at her face, but he knew, somehow, that she was shaken by his astute observation. Finally, she turned her head away and started rummaging through her bag.

"We're gonna be late for Skiowitz's class," Tori said. "Come on, guys." Cat jumped up, followed by Robbie, and the three walked ahead. Andre shot Beck a look.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing," Beck said. He honestly hadn't. "I just asked a question."

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"Mr. Oliver, so nice to see you again!" Sikowitz said, coming forward to hug his student. Beck side stepped out of the way last minute, causing everyone to laugh, including Skiowitz. Tori made a point to take a seat and avoid the action.

"Well, as nice as it may be to see you, life goes on and so does class. Everyone to your seats. Except you, Mr. Oliver. Maybe you can start the class off with a little acting exercise?"

"Sure," Beck said, putting his bag down and heading to the front of the class.

"Excellent," Sikowitz said, clapping his hands together. "And where is your partner, Ms. Vega? She can do the honors of being the one to act opposite you."

Tori stiffened in her seat. She could feel the jealous stares of her classmates on her, but she didn't care. They could have her part.

"I'm okay, Mr. Sikowitz," Tori said. "Someone else can go."

"I said Ms. Vega and I will have Ms. Vega," Sikowitz said. "Now please come up here and grab this script." Tori thought about protesting again, but deciding against it, made her way to the front of the room and took the chair next to Beck. She felt him look at her, but didn't think she could handle looking at him. She couldn't forget his question from lunch, the look he gave her as he tried to dig deeper. He had no right to do that Sikowitz handed both her and Beck a script, then proceeded to hand the script out to the rest of the class.

"Everyone take ten minutes to read, and then we will watch these two act it out."

Tori looked down and recognized the scene from a play she had gone to see recently at a Latin Community Arts theater. It was a passionate argument between lovers, the woman trying to tell the man she knew they weren't meant for each other. Great.

"Okay, let's go," Sikowitz exclaimed. "From the top. Elena and Alejandro are outside of her house." Tori stood and so did Beck. Without even looking at him, Tori began to read.

"'Alejandro, what are you doing here?'"

"'I had to see you,'" Beck replied, stepping closer to her. Tori stepped back quickly.

"'You shouldn't have come. I told you that we have nothing more to offer each other.'"

"'The mouth you lie from is the same one I was kissing the other night, Elena,'" Beck said, his eyes looking hurt. Tori was impressed by how quickly he could get into character. She felt intimidated, and put her discomfort aside so as to get into character better, herself.

"'I am not for you, my love,'" Tori said, bringing herself closer to Beck, closing the big gap. The character of Elena was starting to radiate within her chest. "'I thought you told me you understood that.'"

"'I am not for you, and yet you call me love?" Beck said, bridging the gap even more. "'Elena, I only asked you for one thing and that was to believe in us. What has happened that you can't do that now?'"

Tori could feel the heat radiating from Beck's stare. It was powerful. She now understood why he was revered by the student body for his acting skills. She tucked her hair behind her ear and continued with her lines.

"'Alejandro, go home,'" she said, stepping forward and placing her hand on his cheek. Tori almost jumped back immediately, feeling a sudden shock as she touched his skin. Stupid static electricity. She put her hand down slowly, and Beck placed his hand where hers just was. Tori stepped back.

"'I'm not going anywhere,'" Beck said.

"'Well, then I will. Goodbye, Alejandro."

As Tori started to turn, she felt a powerful grip on her arm turn her back. Suddenly, she was slammed against Beck's body, her leg between his two as she struggled to keep herself steady. Beck seemed to be holding her up, his hands gripped tight on her arms. She was pressed against him, staring directly into his eyes.

Tori felt her cheeks flush and she didn't know if it was his heartbeat or her own that she was hearing in her ears. The look on his face was so intense.

"'Don't walk away from me, Elena,'" Beck said, his face so close to her own. "'I love you.'"

Tori stared, the magnitude of the line reverberating. His legs were warm against her own, and Tori vaguely wondered if she would fall if he let go. She didn't know how long they stayed like that.

Sikowitz's cleared his throat, a pointed reminder to continue. Tori broke the trance and Beck helped her steady as she pushed away from him. She felt like her whole body was on fire. Taking a second to breathe, Tori continued her lines, bringing forth her character of Elena's mindset and closing off the moment she just shared with Beck.

"'Alejandro,"' Tori said, making a point to look at the ground and not at Beck. "'I'm sorry. But I have to go now.'" And with that Tori turned to finish the scene, vaguely wondering if Beck would grab her again. He didn't, but as she walked back to her seat among her classmate's and Skiowitz's complements, she could have sworn she could still feel his eyes burning into her back.

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Thanks to everyone who continues to read and who reviews! I wanna wish everyone Happy Holidays and I hope to get another chapter out soon!


	4. Chapter 4

Hi everyone. I hope everyone had a really good holiday and is looking forward to the new year. Because I know I am…anyway, enjoy!

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To say that Jade was angry was putting it lightly. Beck sat on the couch and she stood in front of him, arms crossed over her chest and a furrow in her eyebrows. Anyone met with that stare usually showed a little bit of cringe, but not Beck. After two years, he was used to it. However, being used to it didn't mean he was in the mood to deal with it. Especially after being on set since five o'clock in the morning.

"You lied to me," she said, voice venomous, as if daring him to challenge her. Never backing down from a challenge, Beck answered her in a cool voice.

"How did I lie to you?" he asked, raising the remote to turn the volume down on the television. But not by much.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to school on Monday?"

"Will you please sit down?" Beck asked, trying not to lose his patience. "Can we just eat dinner and watch TV? I'm tired."

"I don't see how watching a stupid stand-up comedian is more important than discussing how you kept something from me. Something that was plastered all over social media!" Beck blew his hair out of his eyes. He couldn't deny that a lot of their mutual friends had talked about how he was on campus on Monday, but he didn't see how it was a big deal. Especially since he had left campus by two o'clock, only to see his girlfriend later that night. And when asked, he had told her the truth. But apparently, not in time.

"I completely forgot that I had agreed to go, but when my alarm went off that morning, I remembered. And I told you when I saw you later-"

"Right after about fifty other people did via internet," Jade said, cutting him off. She still didn't move from her position in front of the TV.

"I don't see how going to school is a big deal. If we were anyone else, this wouldn't be a big deal!"

"But we're not!" Jade shrieked, placing her hands on her hips and not relenting. "Did you go to school to meet your stupid partner?" Beck let out an exasperated sigh. He didn't know that Jade knew Tori from their freshman year, but the issue had become a big one when she had discovered they were partners for their project. He honestly couldn't be surprised that she knew Tori. Andre hadn't exaggerated the miniscule size of the Hollywood Arts campus. And, knowing Jade the way he did, Beck wasn't surprised that Jade didn't like Tori. She never needed a legitimate reason to not like anybody. What DID surprise him, however, was how adamant she was that Tori was his reason for going to campus. He'd just met her and somehow, that was the equivalent of being caught with his pants down.

"Jade," Beck said, reaching for his girlfriend in an attempt to calm her down. She pulled away like he was a leper.

"Did she ask you to come to campus to meet her?" Jade snapped.

"No!" Beck said, finally losing it and standing to meet her at eye level. "Andre said that it had been a while, so I-"

"Oh, so now it's Andre's fault?" Jade snapped, shoving him slightly. Beck steadied, refusing to meet her eye. He was getting really mad.

"I need a drink," he mumbled, more to himself than to her.

"Is that the answer to all your problems? Boozing up?"

"Better than sleeping around," he retorted, bringing himself to look her dead in the eyes as he said it. Jade's face paled a bit, but her eyes darkened. Beck knew he had pushed the wrong button. He let out a long exhale, sitting back down on the couch and picking up his box of takeout.

"Look, let's just relax and eat-"

Jade slapped the container out of his hand, causing food to fly all over the floor. Beck stared, but didn't say anything. Neither did she. And he didn't say anything as he got up, brushed some food off of his shoe, and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Jade demanded, stomping after him.

"Away from you," he retorted, grabbing his jacket off the kitchen table.

"I thought we were supposed to eat dinner together," Jade yelled, her voice edging on a shriek. One thing Beck knew about her was how stubborn she was. This was nothing, however, to how much she hated being ignored.

"Well, considering that my dinner is now all over the floor, I think I'll go eat somewhere else." Beck pulled his keys out of his jacket pocket and got into his car. He saw Jade in the doorway as he drove away, and knew soon he'd hear the familiar buzz of her ringtone. He also knew he wasn't going to answer it. Searching for some peace, Beck drove downtown, not exactly sure where he was going or what he was doing. But he didn't care at this point.

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Tori sat at Cat and Robbie's dining room table with Andre, dealing the cards as Cat stood in the kitchen making snacks. Robbie sat on the counter, every so often glancing over and just staring at his girlfriend. Andre was making jokes, so he was too busy to catch the little glances. But Tori never missed them. It was a heart melting moment that she always looked forward to seeing. She'd never seen anyone look at anybody so lovingly, not even with her own parents. It was nice.

Cat bounced from the kitchen, causing the trance that she had over Robbie (and in some way, over Tori) to break.

"Who wants snacks?" she said, voice high pitched and happy.

"I do!" Andre yelled, tickling Cat as she walked by. Both Tori and Cat giggled.

"Andre, don't do that or I might drop the food!" Cat said as she placed the tray in the center of the table. Tori helped herself to one of the chicken fingers, letting out a low moan of pleasure as she chewed.

"Cat, that sauce is amazing! What's in it?" Cat winked.

"I'll never tell," she said, taking a seat next to Tori.

"I promise it's nothing gross, though," Robbie said, taking a seat next to Andre. "Now who's ready to play some cards?" The four friends began to play, enjoying the evening as they went. The conversation, as always, turned to what was going on in their lives.

"So, Andre," Robbie said, looking carefully at the cards in his hand. "Have you and Jade met up to talk about the project yet?"

"She's coming to school on Monday," Andre said, trying and failing to hide the annoyance in his voice. "Pray for me."

"Is Monday going to be the new celebrity day or something?" Cat asked, throwing down a card. "First Beck, now Jade. Is Beck coming too?"  
"Why do you care if Beck comes?" Robbie asked. Tori could see the slight worry in his eyes, but this disappeared when Cat reached over and planted a kiss on his cheek. Once again, his eyes relaxed.

"I wish Beck was coming," Andre said, throwing down a card as well. "He's the only one that can keep her on a leash."

"Is she a dog or something?" Cat asked, helping herself to a handful of the snacks on the tray.

"Or something," Tori said, rolling her eyes and remembering Jade. She was not looking forward to seeing her again. She threw her hand down on the table.

"I win. Deal again." Andre and Robbie moaned as Cat giggled, helping herself to more snacks.

"Babe, you can't eat all the snacks. That's rude to our guests," Robbie said, shooting her a look. Cat, in turn, licked the sauce off her fingers.

"Why? It's not like they don't know where we keep everything in the kitchen."

"But still!"

"It's fine, Robbie," Tori said, rising from her seat. "I was actually about to go get myself some water. Anyone want anything?"

"Can you bring me some of the spiked iced tea from the fridge?" Cat asked, helping herself to more chicken. "It's in the blue pitcher. You guys can have some if you want."

"I'm okay," Tori said, pinching her nose shut as she poured the tea into a glass. The smell was strong. Sometimes, Cat went a little overboard on the alcohol. Coming back to the table, Tori felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She ignored it as she sat down, earning a raised eyebrow from Andre.

"You never ignore your phone," he pointed out.

"It's probably just Trina," Tori said, taking her hand of cards off the table.

"Have you guys made up yet?" Robbie asked, stealing a snack out of Cat's hand.

"It wasn't a big deal," Tori said, focusing immensely on the hand she had. It was a good one.

"If it was enough to make you miss vocals, it's a big deal," Andre said. She could feel him staring at her.

"I was just tired," Tori said, shifting her focus immensely to the little face of the Jack of Hearts in her hand. She didn't want to talk about Trina. She hadn't seen her sister since that night, although their presences weren't lost on each other. Coming home the next day, she had discovered a pack of Skittles, her favorite, and a pack of cigarettes on the table. Tori knew they were peace offerings and took them, not wanting Trina to think that she didn't accept. But, in reality, she couldn't forget the sight of her sister on the floor. She couldn't forget her anger and the real heartbreak in her voice. She knew that to shake that, she'd have to get out of her own head for a while. But no opportunity had presented itself for her to do that.

"Put your hand down, Tori!" Cat said, bringing her back to reality. Smiling, Tori placed the cards down on the table.

"I win again, I think," Tori said, looking around at her friends. Andre sighed, throwing down his cards. Cat did the same, but Robbie smirked.

"Full House," he exclaimed, placing his cards down gently, as if they were made of glass. The friends giggled as Cat placed a full kiss on her boyfriend's mouth. Robbie placed his hands on either side of her neck and kissed her deeply, as if he couldn't breathe without her. It was beautiful, but almost hard to watch. The emotion behind it was raw and unprecedented. The moment was interrupted, however, by Andre making retching sounds. This earned him a playful punch from Tori.

"Don't be rude."

Cat pulled away, a dreamy smirk on her face.

"Whoa," she exclaimed, bringing her hand to her forehead. "I feel light headed."

"That might be the iced tea, Cat," Tori said, picking up her friend's glass and discovering half of it gone.

"Damn," Andre whispered, almost in awe at his little friend's capabilities. "You housed that, Cat." Cat giggled, her cheeks flushed. Her giggle was infectious, and soon, the room was full of the sound of four different laughs. This was only interrupted by the loud buzz of Tori's phone. All three eyes looked at her as she reached to her back pocket to silence it. No sooner had she done that, though, did her phone buzz again.

"Would you just answer it?" Andre exclaimed, slapping his hand down on the table. "It might be important."

"If it's Trina, I doubt that," Tori said. Cat waltzed back into the kitchen to get more spiked tea, but Tori could still feel Andre and Robbie's eyes on her. Knowing it probably was her sister and that she couldn't ignore her anymore, Tori relented. Putting in her pass code, she discovered that out of three text messages, one was indeed from Trina. The other two however, were from a number she didn't recognize. Opening Trina's text, Tori discovered a curt message from her sister simply stating "Be home late, don't wait up."

"Is Trina okay?" Andre asked, distracted by Cat bringing out the last of the chicken fingers.

"Uh…yeah, she's fine," Tori replied, opening up the other two text messages. The messages were short.

Hey. Have you eaten dinner yet?

If you haven't, you should meet me at Bailey's Pub in West LA.

As Tori was about to reply, the sender sent a third text.

9:00 okay?

Tori glanced at her watch, finding it to be 8:30. Looking up, she saw that Andre wasn't examining her anymore. He was looking at something on Robbie's phone, and Cat was slowly making her way through her second glass of iced tea. She didn't know why, but she didn't want her friends to look over her shoulder.

Tori: Who is this?

Tori received her answer within a minute.

It's Beck.

Tori: How did you get my number?

Beck: You gave it to me the other day after the acting exercise, remember?

Tori thought back to earlier in the week, feeling her face flame up as she remembered Beck, with his probing eyes and iron grip. That day had been foggy in her mind, with the lack of sleep and the shock of having someone she barely knew question her in a way her friends hadn't. He had come up to her after their classmates had gotten done mobbing him, telling her he liked the way she had portrayed her character. Tori was actually flattered by his complement, but had only managed to grunt out a muffled thank you. It wasn't every day that a celebrity complemented you. When class ended, he had asked for her number, telling her he would contact her later when his schedule had died down. Then, they could begin really working on their project.

She honestly hadn't expected him to text her at all, let alone proposition a meal on the other side of the city. Tori knew life was full of surprises, but she wasn't sure if she liked the way Beck kept surprising her.

Tori: Why are you texting me?

Beck: For dinner?

Tori: But you don't know me. Do you always ask strangers to dinner?

Beck: No, not usually. But we have a project to do together, right? Gotta start somewhere

Tori knew Beck was right, but his timing was nothing if not eerily convenient. She had been thinking about the project earlier that morning, silently wishing he would text her just to help ease her anxiety a little bit. She checked in Trina's room and found her bottle of Xanax, popping one to help herself calm down. Now, the edge was starting to come back.

Beck: So… will I see you at 9?

"Tori!"

Tori jumped and held her hand to her chest. Cat stared at her, half startled, half confused.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she said, the alcohol strong on her breath. "Is everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't everything be okay?" Tori asked, feeling her pulse rate starting to come down.

"You've been staring at your phone for five minutes."

"Is everything alright with Trina?" Andre asked, concerned. Tori shot him a confused look, but quickly stopped. Everyone still thought she was talking to Trina.

"Yeah, is Trina okay?" Robbie asked, concern evident on his face as well.

"Um…yeah," Tori said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "She's fine. She's just drunk out in the West side of the city. She needs me to pick her up." As Tori tucked her phone into her purse, she couldn't help but feel some kind of shame. She was lying to her friends, and she honestly didn't have a good reason to be. She didn't know why she was, but the lie kept slipping smoothly off her tongue.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Andre asked her as she slipped on her hoodie.

"No, it's okay," Tori said, slipping her arms into the sleevs. "We're going to go right home, anyway."

"She didn't drive herself?" Robbie asked.

"Um…no. Whoever he was, he picked her up."

"Are you sure you don't want company?" Andre asked, the concern so evident in his eyes that Tori felt dirty for the lie. She had no idea what was making her go along with it in the first place. But with the fight with her sister still weighing heavily on her mind, Tori saw her opportunity to get out of her head. She was going to take it.

"No, I'm okay, Andre," Tori said, smiling a reassuring smile at him. "I'll talk to you guys later, okay?"

"Bye Tori," Cat slurred, swaying in her chair. "Text us if you need anything, okay?" Smiling at her friends, Tori shut the door behind her and made her way to her car. Once she started the engine, she glanced down at her phone, and Beck's last text, again.

Beck: So… will I see you at 9?

Tori: Text me the address

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He hadn't expected her to get there so fast, but Tori quickly appeared in front of him. He was surprised, but not because of the speed at which she'd gotten there. She had immediately stood right in front of him; she hadn't texted first, she hadn't slowly, shyly, creeped up next to him. He just blinked, and there she was.

"I didn't exactly take you for a pub guy," she said, pointing to the sign above their heads. "Or a guy who hangs out outside of pubs, for that matter."

"Well, sitting alone seemed kind of pathetic. Plus, it's a nice night. I figured I'd enjoy the breeze." Tori raised an eyebrow.

"I highly doubt you'd be sitting alone for very long. Who wouldn't want to sit with a celebrity?" Beck rolled his eyes.

"I already told Cat a thousand times, I'm not a celebrity."

"Right, because everyone doesn't expect you to hit the big time one day?"

"No pressure," Beck said, shrugging his shoulders. Tori laughed, but stopped short. It was like she wouldn't allow herself to. Beck found himself wanting to know why.

"I gotta admit," he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I'm surprised you actually came."

"Yeah, well… me too," she answered, nervously twirling her watch around her wrist. The awkwardness hung in the air.

"So, why here?" Tori asked, turning to look at their surroundings. "It's pretty dead." As she twirled, some of her hair brushed against his face. He breathed in, taking in her scent. She smelled like peaches and baby powder. It was a simple kind of sweet, but intoxicating on a level he couldn't explain. She looked him in the eye, and there was that honesty again. He couldn't explain why she seemed so open, especially since her body language was one of a person who was the complete opposite of.

"Why here?" Beck repeated her question, half wondering if he had heard her right. She nodded, and he continued. "I like this place. It's very low key. Good food, great drink deals. Stuff like that."

"Not a big spender?" Tori asked, and he couldn't help but feel slightly miffed by the surprise in her voice.

"Celebrity does not always equate to big spender, you know."

"Are you admitting you're a celebrity?" Tori asked, a playful look in her eyes. Beck just looked at her. She'd gotten him there.

"…maybe a little," Beck said, relenting. Tori laughed again, this laugh actually reaching her eyes and ringing freely in the air. She was really pretty when she laughed. He couldn't help but think back to Andre's words, the ones about pretty not doing her justice. He could see what he meant. The way her eyes sparkled and her hair spilled into her face when she laughed was serene, in a sense. Her whole body was relaxed. Eventually, Tori's laughter faded into the wind and she straightened up, tucking her stray hair behind her ear.

"So, shall we?" she asked, motioning towards the door. Beck did a little bow.

"Ladies first." Surprised, and slightly pleased that she laughed at his gesture, Beck followed her inside.

oooooooooooooooooooo

Robbie laid Cat gently down on their bed, tucking her in as he went. Andre had just left and Cat, after her third glass of tea, had placed her head down on the table and passed out. Robbie had cleaned up so she wouldn't have to do it in the morning, and then he carried her up to bed. As he took his shirt off and looked for his pajama top, he heard his girlfriend stir.

"Robbie?" she asked, turning herself over in the covers to look for him.

"I'm right here, Cat. Are you okay?"

"I feel sick."

"Three glasses of your spiked tea will do that to you. I told you to go easy on the whiskey."

"But I wanted it to be good," Cat protested, her whiny voice coming through. Robbie leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"It was good. Do you have to throw up?" he asked, placing his legs through the matching pajama bottoms.

"No," Cat said, sitting up slowly. "I want some water though." Robbie turned around, glass in hand.

"Already done."

"Thank you," Cat said, taking the water and gulping it down. Robbie made his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"Hey, Robbie?" Cat called as she finished gulping down the last of her water.

"Yeah?" he called from the bathroom, voice garbled. He must have been brushing his teeth.

"Why did Tori lie to us tonight?"

Robbie stuck his head out the bathroom door, a confused look on his face and his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw her texting someone on her phone tonight. It wasn't Trina." Robbie ducked back into the bathroom to rinse his mouth and then came back out. Getting into bed beside Cat, he placed a hand on hers.

"Are you sure?"

"It was a number I'd never seen before."

"What were they saying?"

"Whoever it was asked if they would see her a nine o'clock," Cat said, and Robbie was surprised to hear the concern in her voice.

"Well… that doesn't mean she's lying, Cat. That could have been Trina on another phone. She could have gotten a new number, for all we know. I mean, none of us talk to her anyway."

"I guess… Tori wouldn't lie to me, right?" Cat asked, her eyes shining with a drunken sadness. Robbie couldn't help but smile. She was so cute.

"I don't see why she would," Robbie said, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend.

"It's just, I don't want her to think she can't talk about things, you know? She never told me what happened between her and Rider."

"She will when she's ready, Cat," Robbie assured her, smoothing back her hair. "Don't worry. Let's just go to bed, okay? You can call her in the morning if you're really worried."

"Okay," the red head said, settling down into her pillow. Robbie turned the light off, pulling her into him as he lay down as well.

"Tori wouldn't lie, right?" Cat asked her boyfriend, playing with the button on his pajama top. Robbie smirked and kissed her forehead.

"Right. Tori wouldn't lie."

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Hi guys! Just wanted to say that I'm not sure if I'll be able to get another chapter out before the new year. My new term for nursing school starts January second, so things may be a little tight;/. But I am going to try and update just as frequently. Please read and review and tell me what you think. Happy new year guys!


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys, happy new year. Tomorrow start's the first day of the new semester for me. Like I said, it's gonna be very busy but I'm gonna try and update as frequently as possible. PLEASE **review**. They really mean a lot to me and let me know that you guys are interested.

oooooooooooooo

Beck choked back the tequila shot, bringing the lime to his lips and sucking down the fruit's tart juices as he swallowed. Tori grimaced as he shot her a smirk.

"You gonna finish yours?" he asked her, eyeing the small shot glass in her hand. Tori looked at him and, with a quick wrist flick, shot the liquid back quickly. He watched her wipe a stray drop from her lips, and then she smiled at him.

"You want another one?" he asked her, raising his hand slightly to flag down the waitress. Tori looked at him in disbelief.

"That was our second shot," she said incredulously, as she watched him tell the waitress to bring them another, and make it a double.

"I can't even feel it yet," Beck said to her.

"You drink a lot, don't you?" Tori asked, the question meant to be innocent. She saw a look of discomfort cross Beck's eye, but he quickly hid it.

"I guess you could say I have a high tolerance," he said, shrugging it off.

"Can we at least wait until our burgers get here to do the next one?" Tori asked, picking up her glass of water and taking a long sip. It quelled the alcohol in her stomach a bit, but it didn't extinguish the fire of it running through her veins.

"Why don't you live a little?" Beck asked.

"I came to a bar on the other side of the city to eat dinner with a guy I barely know, and the first thing he does is buy me shots. I'd say I'm living. Wouldn't you?" Beck smiled, enjoying the wit as it played off her tongue.

"I can't argue with that," Beck said, "but something tells me you hold back on a lot of things." Tori was about to answer, but was interrupted by the waitress who not only brought their burgers and a second waitress who brought their shots.

"Thanks, ladies," Beck said, smiling at both of them. He turned immediately to continue his conversation with Tori, not seeing the reaction of the two girls. They had to be about the same age as she and Beck. One was blushing and the other straightened up, sticking her cleavage out slightly.

"Anything else we can get you?" the closer one, the busty one, asked. Beck turned and flashed her another smile.

"No, we're fine. Thanks ladies." His tone was friendly but dismissive. They both walked away, and Tori couldn't help but be impressed. She observed Beck as he took a bite of his burger, wiping his lip with the back of his hand sloppily. Even that action couldn't take away from his looks. He really was gorgeous. Tori took a long sip of her water, thinking about how she had never really noticed that before. Beck tapped the table, bringing her attention back to him.

"You look like you're deep in thought," he said, stuffing a fry into his mouth. "What's bothering you?" Mortified, and not willing to admit that she was analyzing how gorgeous she thought his face was, Tori took a very unladylike bite of her burger. She felt the smear of condiments on her face and felt the juice of the burger run down her chin.

"Hungry?" Beck asked, chuckling a bit. Tori put the burger down and immediately searched for a napkin. When she couldn't find one, Beck took his and reached over.

"Here, let me," he said, bringing the napkin to her mouth and wiping away the mess. Tori held still, expecting a quick swipe. Surprisingly, Beck was gentle, wiping her mouth meticulously. But the napkin slipped from his hand when he reached the messiest spot, leaving his thumb brushed against her lips. She just stared at him, feeling the weight against her mouth. For a second, they stayed like that, his thumb warmed by her breath. The spell was broken by the table next to them, one of its inhabitants dropping a glass onto the floor. Beck retracted his hand and Tori wiped her mouth with her own hand. She'd barely known him that long and yet found herself filing this moment away as another thing she chose to ignore concerning him.

"Um," Beck said, shaking his hand out as if trying to shake the moment himself, "How about that shot?"

"Yeah," Tori said, taking the double and throwing it back so quickly that it was a miracle she didn't choke. The tension of the moment between them disappeared as Beck let out a low whistle of awe.

"Wow," he said, watching as Tori's face contorted as she took a slow breath, bringing the lime to her mouth.

"Good tequila," she said, putting the glass down. Tori opened her eyes and immediately felt the head rush. Her whole body was warm, and she stretched as she felt all her muscles loosen. She shrugged her hoodie off, enjoying the cool air on her shoulders. She felt Beck's eyes on her, feeling a little self-conscious. Not knowing she was going out that night, all she'd put on for the game night at Cat and Robbie's was a simple pair of jeans with a tank top and hoodie. This tank top in question was a couple years old, making it a little tighter than she was used to. The alcohol made her stretch her arms over her head, twisting slightly to show off her stomach. She looked at him, indicating to the untouched tequila on the table.

"You gonna finish yours?" she asked, surprised at herself for the flirty, but mocking tone in her voice as she shot back his earlier question. Beck returned the smirk.

"Comedian and singer?" he asked, downing the shot, albeit slower than Tori had. He felt the effects starting on his body as well, and the tequila made him brave. He looked at Tori freely as she worked out the kinks in her muscles, taking in the slenderness of her wrists and working his way down. His eyes traveled down the nape of her neck, noticing the modest neckline of the tight tank top. It was short, her flat stomach exposed and the tan skin flattering. The table cut off his observation at the top of her jeans, but the probing continued in his mind. He shook the thought away, wondering how he had allowed his thoughts to run away with him.

"So," Tori said, breaking the silence between them. "I was thinking for our project we could look at a lot of tragedy plays and draw ideas from those." Beck shook his head.

"Where's the fun in that, though?" he asked her, continuing to eat his food. "We should just write from experience. It's always better that way." Tori, flagging down the waitress and asking her to bring a beer, could barely hold back a giggle.

"What's so funny?" Beck asked, giving the waitress an order (another shot) himself.

"What do you know about tragedy?" she asked, not unkindly, but not as gentle as a sober her would have. Beck, not one to take things personal, retorted with a question of his own.

"I feel like I should be asking YOU that, honestly," he said, finishing off his food.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tori asked, leaning forward on the table.

"You're pretty popular at school, aren't you?" he asked, not giving her a chance to answer as he continued. "I've seen some of your other work. The extra work you did on _Cambridge Falls,_ last year? You were really good. I'm surprised acting is only your minor."

"Are you fucking stalking me?" Tori asked, but Beck ignored her and kept going.

"When you didn't show up to vocals, I thought you told them you got into a car accident. Cat was actually hyperventilating." Tori shook her head, smiling despite herself.

"Well, that's Cat for you," she said, enjoying the intensity with which he was going on with his explanation. She leaned forward a little more, knowing that her cleavage was drawing his eyes in. The alcohol could have been a magnet, the way it was drawing her to him. Beck continued, despite his wandering eyes.

"Andre worships the ground you walk on and Cat and Robbie freak out when you're not around." Beck leaned forward to meet her gaze, stopping when his face was two inches from her own. "So, Tori, why don't you tell me about tragedy?"

His last statement stung a bit, but Tori held her ground.

"I asked you first."

"But you're more afraid to answer, aren't you?" he asked, the smell of tequila so strong on his breath, and yet his eyes didn't have the glazed over look of someone who drank too much. Tori couldn't help but wonder how many experiences he had been through to have that tolerance.

"You want me to answer you?" she said, accepting his challenge. On a normal sober day, Tori would have been terrified that someone was so blatantly probing her with his eyes and trying to pull back the layers of her mind. But right now, she didn't really give a damn.

"Okay," she said, leaning her head closer, closing the gap between them. "Maybe you're right. I'm not exactly a welfare case. But tragedy? Try living with my sister. And sometimes I have nightmares all night and can't sleep."

"What do you dream about?" he asked, generally interested, caught up in the conversation. The air between them was charged.

"My ex-boyfriend or my sister tend to duke it out," Tori said, immediately regretting it when the words left her lips. But before she could pull away, Beck grabbed her chin with his hand, forcing her to look at him. She just stared, his eyes asking hers a thousand questions with a glance. Her own eyes shot him a look that said it all.

_I'm not telling you anything._

The spell between them was broken again, not by the sound of shattered glass, but by Beck's phone ringing.

"You're crying," he murmured, letting her face go and leaning back in his seat as he pulled the phone out of his pocket. Tori leaned back as well, frantically wiping back the few tears that she hadn't felt fall. The waitress came, dropping off their latest drink orders. Beck, frustrated by something Tori didn't know, put his phone angrily on the table and chugged his shot back in a single gulp. She sipped her beer, enjoying the break from the harsh liquor.

"What's your tragedy?" she asked him. Beck made to answer, but his phone once again rung. Before he shut it off, Tori caught a glance of the name on the caller ID. Jade.

"You've been avoiding her all night," Tori said, remembering how Beck's phone had been ringing non-stop since they first sat down two hours earlier.

"I'm aware," Beck said, running his hand through his hair in frustration. The latest text message from his girlfriend contained her typical "I'm-gonna-hunt-you-down" threat. Beck, not putting it past her to put some weird tracking app on his phone, just shut it off. He also just wanted some peace. He didn't wanna talk to her. He felt like she wouldn't take that answer lying down. So saying nothing at all would have to do.

"How long have you guys been together?" Tori asked, taking another sip of her beer.

"Two years," Beck said, taking her beer and taking a sip for himself. She let him, enjoying the feel of his fingers on hers as he took the bottle from her.

"That's a long time."

"What about you and your ex?"

"About a year," Tori said, taking back the beer and finishing it. "Maybe not even."

"What happened?"

"That's not really any of your business, is it?" Tori asked, smiling sweetly. Her tone held no malice, but the charged moments that had been happening between them all night had caused her guard to fly up. She didn't understand what was happening, but the unknown wasn't appealing to her. Beck looked thoughtful.

"No, I guess it isn't," he conceded, leaning back. "Well, were you happy?"

"Are you happy?"

"Not really your business, is it?"

They stared at each other, with both walls up now. Two could play that game, Beck thought. He found himself wanting to know his new partner, but wasn't prepared to push the issue if she was going to fight him on it. Always a hard worker, but never persistent. That was him.

One of the girls from the table next to them had made a drunken stagger to the old juke box in the corner, turning on some music. A slow melody filled the air and Tori smiled. She loved this song. She started humming, and then in a soft voice, she began to sing.

Beck listened, looking down at his hands on his lap. He didn't miss a word she said, though. He glanced up as she went into the chorus of the song, noticing her eyes were closed and that she had a serene smile on her face. It was like she had completely forgotten where she was or that he sat across from her. Her voice was incredible, and he immediately understood why she never chose to miss her vocals class. Looking back, he'd felt the same way about his acting classes in the beginning. But things changed, and now he was never in school. He admired her conviction. The song was soon over and she opened her eyes again, a happiness shining behind them.

"You can really sing," Beck said, the admiration in his eyes making a blush come to her cheeks that had nothing to do with the tequila. "You can sing, dance, and act. That's amazing."

"You're only saying that because you're drunk. And I can't dance," Tori said, motioning for the waitress to bring their check. She counted some money from her wallet and set it on the table. Beck frowned as he put his half of the bill down. He didn't want the night to end yet.

"Being drunk doesn't mean my ears or my eyes don't work," he told her, rising from his seat. "I was there when you danced in school, you know." With that he walked off, and Tori's eyes followed his retreating figure to the jukebox. Putting in money and picking a song, her ears immediately picked up the same song that she had danced to the day they met. She looked up and was immediately met with his stare, him having moved back to the table so quickly. The sudden closeness caused her to shift suddenly, and her drunken state caused her to lose her balance and slide off her bar stool.

"Whoa," Beck said as he caught her, one hand on her lower back and the other on her stomach, trying to steady her. Tori's hands were flat against his chest, feeling the body heat through the thin fabric of his shirt. That was nothing compared to the intensity of his hands, though. The fire she felt when they did their acting exercise together was nothing compared to the electricity jolt of his hands. She looked up at him, locking stares again.

"Dance for me," he whispered, voice lower, a growl in the back of his throat. Tori swallowed.

"This isn't a night club. People aren't supposed to dance here."

"Who cares what people think?" he asked, bringing his mouth closer to her ear and breathing out his request again. "Dance for me, please?"

Tori's whole body went into a sort of convulsion at his request, which only pressed her tighter into him, her hips now pressed against his own. She felt his warmth through his jeans and as she shifted, she could feel a moistness start between her own two legs. The affect he had on her was driving her crazy, and he was barely touching her. The feeling was so overwhelming that some part of her wanted to run; but the part that was dominating her right now was drunk and, while never a reckless drunk, it could never be said she wasn't adventurous. Tori raised her arms and placed them around his neck, pulling closer again.

"How about I dance with you, instead of for you?" she asked him, wriggling her hips a bit. He bit his lip but didn't say anything as he returned the movement, placing both his hands at her hips. He moved with her, feeling the music and the alcohol swirling in his blood. Tori closed her eyes and, just like that first day, let the music take her away. She wasn't dancing as wildly, because it wasn't coming from an angry place this time. This dance was slow, her movements deliberate and close. On some level, she knew her moves came from a place of primal attraction. This time was different. She'd been attracted to people before, but had never felt it to the point that some part of her felt crushed. He ran his fingers slowly up and down her spine, and Tori played with the stray hairs at the back of his neck. She opened her eyes to look at him, but once she did make the eye contact, the overwhelming feeling was enough to make a small gasp escape her throat.

As if trying to catch the sigh from her throat, Beck slowly lowered his face to her neck, feeling her pulse hammering against his lips as he placed a soft kiss there. He also heard another gasp, a deeper one this time, catch in her throat. Her hand tightened its grip on his hair. The song ended, and yet he kept his lips pressed to the pulse point, enjoying the rapid thuds against his lips. He vaguely wondered if his heart was beating like hers was.

A shrill sound filled the air, followed by an upbeat, chipmunk version of a latest radio hit. It was Trina's ringtone. It was also Tori's instant transport back to reality. Realizing the position she was in, she gently pulled her hands back from his neck and pushed him away, steadying herself as she felt the slight wobble in her step. Beck also stepped back quickly, feeling the cold from his own reality check and her sudden lack of contact setting in. Not stopping to look at him, Tori turned around and walked outside, answering her phone as she went.

"Trina?" Tori asked, hearing music in the background.

"Tori," Trina said, a slight sniffle in her voice. "Where are you?" Tori looked around, seeing the streetlights and the random cars. She honestly had no idea where she was.

"Are you okay?" Tori asked, not missing the sniffle. She heard the unflattering sound of Trina sniffing and swallowing the mucus from her nose. She only did that when she was very drunk. Even when inebriated, her sister cared about her image.

"Where are you, Trina?" Tori asked, walking back toward the bar and the cabs that were across the street from it.

"I'm on La Brea," Trina said, the music in the background getting a little stronger. "Are you coming to get me?"

Trina falling back into the damsel in distress routine told Tori that their fight was officially over. Even though she knew it was going to be an extra long night considering she was also drunk, she didn't care. Not only was she happy that her sister and her were going to be back to normal, she had been given the perfect excuse to run. She was still hot from her encounter with the boy she had left suddenly inside the bar, and she didn't like how it was overtaking her. She just wanted to put as much distance between him and her as possible.

Tori got into the cab, making a mental note to ask Trina to take her to pick up her car tomorrow.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

"La Brea," Tori replied as she put the window down, craving the crisp night air. As she did, she saw Beck emerge from the bar slowly, running his hands through his hair as he looked side to side. His eyes locked with her instantly. He didn't seem to be surprised that she was running, and as the cab pulled away, Tori wondered if that was a bad thing or not.

ooooooooooooooooooo

Hi guys! I hope you enjoy. Please **review** and let me know what you think. It would really make my day! Thanks :0)

Oh and Kiribati: To answer your question, I'm honestly not sure yet.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey everybody. Sorry for the delay, but school's intense. I can't really focus on studying right now so I'm gonna just gonna write!

oooooooooooooooo

The first thing Beck saw when he got back to his apartment was the time, glowing bright, green, and overwhelming from his cable box in the living room. 5:38 AM. The next thing he noticed was an overwhelming clean scent, a combination of disinfectant and air freshener. His kitchen and living room were clean, and he noticed the food container that had fallen to the floor earlier sticking out of the trashcan. The last and most startling thing he noticed, however, was the sleeping figure on his couch. It was Jade.

Beck quietly went to one of his kitchen cabinets, searching for the bottle of Tylenol he kept there. Finding it, he popped two and filled a glass of water at the sink. His head was not only killing him, but his body was stiff from the few precious hours of sleep he had gotten in his car. After he watched Tori pull away in the cab, all Beck wanted was to go to sleep and try and clear his head for the night. He knew he was beyond making sense of it with a drunk mind. But as he walked back to his car, he discovered he was also beyond his ability to drive. So he settled in and slept it off as best he could until he couldn't take the cramped space anymore. As he drove home, he saw the smallest inklings of sunrise in the sky.

Honestly, he could still feel the liquor in his blood. But he had managed to shake the feeling of Tori's touch, her fingers in his hair and her hips pressed against his. Every time he had closed his eyes to try and sober himself, he saw himself with her, different scenarios playing themselves out. He had enjoyed the evening with her, a lot more than he thought he would have, but he also felt somehow he had done something wrong. They'd barely touched, but he could still feel her pulse throbbing against his mouth, fast and hot. He loved the fact that he made her heart beat so fast, even though the thought also made him feel guilty.

He made his way over to the couch and squatted down next to Jade so that he could look at her sleeping face. She didn't stir, her breathing even and deep. He very rarely got to see her like this. He almost forgot their argument looking at her face, which was free of scowl or annoyance. She almost never was without that, but Beck knew it was just a defense mechanism. Jade had her own weird ways of showing it, but she could be very kind sometimes. His clean apartment was proof of that, a peace offering of sorts. She had waited for him to come home. This knowledge only added to that edge of guilt he felt for being so close to another girl that night.

Beck had been close to a lot of girls since he had been old enough to notice the opposite sex. Jade wasn't his first, and he had been in many intimate moments with co-workers and friends over the years, acting or not. He remembered what had first compelled him to want to get to know Jade and date her; she wasn't afraid of him. It wasn't about pure sexual attraction or her trying to latch on to his rising fame. She was defiant and hard working, passionate and slightly crazy. She was different and he loved that about her. He still did, but somehow, this night that he had just spent with a total stranger was a kind of crack his world. Because that stranger wasn't a stranger anymore. He was honestly grateful that Tori had run out and broken the bubble they had managed to form around themselves. He didn't know what would have happened if she didn't.

A combination of a need for distance and his own guilty thoughts made Beck refrain from waking Jade up. He kissed her lips lightly, breathing her in as he did. She smelled like apples and spice, which was so fitting for her. Beck knew in the morning he would hold his girlfriend close, kiss her, possibly have sex with her. He knew he would tell her he loved her, and then he'd tell her he was sorry, meaning every word he said. And Beck knew that she would think he was referring to their fight, and that he wouldn't correct her.

ooooooooooo

Tori felt like she had been run over by a truck. Luckily, Trina had a lot of experience with hangovers and was taking care of her. Her big sister had fallen asleep in bed with her, but when Tori had woken up, she wasn't there anymore. It was already twelve o'clock in the afternoon, but the bright light of the sun was enough to keep her under the covers, only leaving the bed to throw up in the bathroom. Trina had found her hugging the toilet after the third time, but instead of the incessant nagging her sister was famous for, all Tori heard was a soothing shushing sound as her big sister pulled her hair back from her face.

"What did you drink?" Trina asked. No probing. No prying. Just a general concern that Tori very rarely saw from her. She didn't choose to question her motives.

"Tequila."

"Ah," Trina said, still smoothing her hair as she reached out and turned the water on in the shower. "Okay. Take a shower. I'll bring you in some clothes." And then she left without another word. Tori started to protest, but feeling the steam from the hot water, she decided against it. Stripping down and stepping into the stream of water, Tori immediately felt her muscles relax at the heated water's onslaught. She washed her hair and just stood, enjoying the heat on her body. It was so different from the heat of the night before, but this heat was much less dangerous.

Tori washed her legs, slowly running her hands against her inner thighs, remembering the feel of Beck's closeness. The effect he had on her, and how she had run from it, the reaction too real for her to handle. She remembered the moistness between her legs, staining her panties with proof of his charms. She'd never tell anyone, she thought, her face flaming up as she shook the thoughts from her head.

Pulling her hair away from her neck, Tori rinsed the suds from her hair. Trina knocked gently, coming in with Tori's permission.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, voice soft. Tori almost forgot that her sister had been very drunk last night as well, and probably felt no better than she did. She was even more grateful now for her help.

"I feel a little better," Tori said, rinsing herself clean and turning off the water. "Can you hand me a towel?" Trina's hand appeared inside the shower curtain, gripping Tori's favorite pink towel. Her sister's consideration made Tori's eyes soften, and she was grateful that Trina couldn't see her.

"We need to put some coffee and something greasy in our stomachs," Trina said. "And wherever your car is, we need to go get it. Please don't tell me you forgot to lock the door. Mom will kill you, and me, if your car gets stolen."

"I don't think so," Tori said, pushing back the shower curtain, towel wrapped tightly around her. Her sister was leaning against the sink, the fluorescent glow of the bathroom light shining down on her. Only under these conditions did she notice the bags under her eyes and her tired expression.

"Are you okay?" Tori asked, wondering vaguely how the night had been for her. She had found her sister outside of a club, leaning against a brick wall and smoking a cigarette. When she had showed up in a cab, Trina didn't seem to notice at first. She was just so happy to see her little sister, coming to her rescue once again. In fact, Trina hadn't said anything about it until they were halfway home, making the astute observation that they were indeed in a cab. Instead of asking a thousand questions, Trina was more impressed by the fact that Tori had actually gotten drunk enough to not drive, both sisters realizing it had been a while since the younger one had cut loose.

"Whoever got you to drink tonight, I need to shake their hand," a drunken Trina had said as they pulled up to their apartment. As Tori paid the cab driver, she knew that Trina would have loved to do that and more with the boy she had been drinking with. Any girl would.

"Come on," Trina said, rousing Tori from her thoughts. "Let's get you dressed." Tori followed her sister back to her room, choosing to wear a pair of yoga pants and an old T-shirt, enjoying its softness. She glanced quickly in the mirror as both sisters headed out the door, and was relieved to find that she didn't look sickly or pale. She felt like she still possessed some of the glow she had felt the night before, but quickly dismissed the thoughts again. She got into the passenger's seat of her sister's car and fastened her seat belt as Trina turned to her.

"So, where's your car again?"

ooooooooooooo

The ride had been uneventful, Tori leaning her head against the car door and enjoying the coolness of the window against her forehead. Trina handed her a coffee and a breakfast sandwich from some drive-thru, the bag covered in grease. Tori felt like she had never eaten anything better, even as she used five napkins to wipe her hands. Finally, she couldn't help but ask the question that had been burning on her mind for the past hour.

"Why are you being so nice?" She saw Trina's cool façade falter a little.

"You're my sister," she said, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. Tori just looked at her, observing her older sister as she drove. Her words were sincere, but she knew that Trina would find a way to make the moment less intimate. She didn't disappoint.

"And, who else would pick me up tonight except you?" Trina shot Tori a side-glance, a slight smirk on her lips. Tori laughed, knowing that this statement was also true.

"What were you doing out here anyway?" Trina asked, pulling up beside her sister's car. Tori was relieved that it was exactly as she had left it the night before. She opened her mouth to say an excuse, but quickly shut it again. She had lied to all her friends the previous night, and figured she could be honest with Trina. At least a little.

"I went out with a friend."

"A boyfriend?"

"A male friend," Tori corrected her, avoiding her sister's probing eyes as she got out of the car.

"Will I ever get to meet him?"

"Who knows," Tori said, adjusting the purse strap on her shoulder. "It wasn't a big deal."

"Okay," Trina said, her tone indicating she didn't believe her. As Tori went to shut the door, Trina stopped her.

"Tori, I really am sorry about the other night, okay?" Tori looked at her sister's face, tired from endless nights of partying. A pang of pity hit her, but she smiled through it.

"Okay," Tori said, reaching forward and placing a quick peck on her sister's cheek. Trina smiled and drove away, leaving Tori to her own thoughts.

ooooooooooo

"Cat?" Tori called as she entered her friend's apartment, pulling the spare key from the lock and slipping it back onto her keychain.

"Robbie?!" she heard Cat squeak from her bedroom.

"No, it's Tori," Tori said, wandering back to her friend's bedroom. She saw Cat, frozen over a pile of white powder, card in hand. She was breaking out lines. Upon seeing her friend, Cat visibly relaxed and went back to what she was doing.

"You scared me," Cat said, meticulous as she broke down the white powder, making it finer. "You should call first."

"I never call first, Cat," Tori said, approaching her friend's side. "That's why you gave me the spare key, remember?"

"Oh yeah," her friend said, smiling at this little reminder. She rolled up a dollar bill and snorted up a line, leaning her head back. As she tilted her head to do another one, Tori noticed that like her, Cat was also freshly showered and looked like she was recovering from her own hangover. Remembering Cat's spiked tea, Tori giggled a little.

"What's so funny?" Cat asked, snorting another line.

"Nothing," Tori said, brushing it off. "Cat, why are you doing lines by yourself?"

"I'm hungover," Cat said, using her whiny voice that was usually reserved for Robbie. "And I'm not alone. Now, anyway." She handed Tori the rolled up bill and, to her friend's surprised, Tori didn't hesitate as she sniffed her own line, and then another. Tori tilted her head back, feeling the drip in her throat that never tasted good. But right now it did. She enjoyed the drip and the head rush, the numb feeling in her nose and in the back of her throat. It took her further from where she had been the night before, and she wanted that more than anything at the moment.

"I missed this," Tori croaked as she handed Cat the bill, her friend not taking notice of Tori's eagerness. The two friends finished off the small pile, and by the end, Tori couldn't feel her face. They walked outside, lighting up cigarettes as they enjoyed the sunshine on their skin. That same sunlight was Tori's enemy only hours earlier.

"Why the cocaine?" Tori asked, remembering Cat hadn't mentioned getting any recently. Cat always told Tori about the drugs she was doing. With the exception of the last time, she had settled down a lot since she and Robbie had bought their apartment. Cat shrugged at her question.

"I just really wanted some this morning. I needed to wake up. I felt like I was dying."

"Are you hiding it from Robbie again?" Tori asked, hoping her tone didn't sound too accusatory. Cat shook her head, exhaling smoke from her mouth.

"No, I told him. I just needed it for the hangover," Cat said. Tori wasn't sure if that was the only reason, but was just happy that she hadn't hid it. "He did some with me this morning after Sinjin dropped it off."

"Sinjin?" Tori asked, surprised. She placed the name to one of Robbie's friends who was at HA for computer graphics. She had barely talked to him over the years, but he was always nice, if not a little weird.

"Yeah, someone on his floor at the dorms has connections, I guess," Cat said, flicking her cigarette butt onto the sidewalk. "Robbie's probably gonna have really bad anxiety today, but I figure if we have sex, I can get him to relax. We can just do it twice if the first time doesn't work." Tori raised her eyebrow. She was honestly used to Cat saying whatever was on her mind, but sometimes the little redhead still surprised her. Observing her, Tori knew Cat had no idea she had crossed the too much information line. She never did, and that was one of the things she loved about her.

"You really love him, don't you?" Tori asked, her curiosity and admiration of Cat's relationship trumping her desire to keep conversation light. Cat's eyes sparkled, a slight smile coming to her face.

"Yeah, I do," she said, twirling slightly, the wind catching the dress she wore and making it billow slightly, the sun glowing behind her. She looked like an angel.

"That must be awesome, Cat," Tori said, following her friend back inside and into the kitchen. The cocaine was making her chatty. "What's it feel like?"

"Don't you remember?" Cat asked, pouring both her and Tori a drink. Tori was relieved to find the drink to be plain juice.

"I've never known," Tori admitted, sitting down at her friend's table. Cat's eyes were wide.

"You didn't love Rider?"

"No," Tori admitted, happy to find that she was no longer upset by this fact. Cat seemed to read her mind.

"That doesn't bother you?" Cat asked.

"Not anymore. It used to. I guess I was expecting something different."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I guess I expected it to be… some kind of magic? Like the earth shifted under my feet or something. It wasn't anything like that." And that's why we never had sex, Tori thought to herself.

"You've never felt that with anybody?" Cat asked, and Tori had a sudden flash of the night before, Beck's lips against her neck and the heat waves that dominated the air as they carried on a conversation. She felt a shudder, but shook it off.

"What's wrong?" Cat asked, noticing the flash in her friend's eyes.

"Nothing," Tori lied. "I'm just cold, I guess." Cat jumped up.

"I'll get you a hoodie. Oh! And you have to see this new skirt I got," she said, running back to her bedroom before Tori could stop her. Smiling, Tori rose and followed her, grateful for her friend's short attention span.

ooooooooo

The rest of the weekend passed by uneventfully, Tori fulfilling her usual duties as Trina's knight in shining armor and spending the remaining time with Cat, working on their projects and just sitting around doing nothing. Monday came quick enough, and she arrived at school early, hoping to grab some tea from the cafeteria before her Vocals class. As she sipped her drink, Tori found Cat and Robbie there as well, holding hands as they discussed the breakfast options of the cafeteria. They eventually decided on nothing. As they entered the courtyard Tori found Andre, sitting on a bench with a scowl on his face.

"What's up?" Tori asked as she approached him. "We haven't seen you since game night. Where have you been?" He flashed her a warm smile, clearly pleasantly surprised to see her there. He opened his mouth with an explanation, but then closed it quickly as he glanced over Tori's shoulder. His expression took on a mixture of annoyance and exhaustion.

"I had to meet up with my partner to discuss our project," Andre mumbled, raising his finger slightly as an indication that his friends should turn around. Tori turned to see Beck and Jade walking towards them. He had his hand on her lower back, his expression impassive. Jade wore a smug smile on her face, a confidence exuding from her. As Beck looked up, his eyes locked with her instantly. Tori felt that charge in the air again, the feeling so alarming that her tea slipped from her hands. The cup collided with the ground, lid popping off and splashing tea all over her and Andre's shoes.

"God dammit, Tori!" he exclaimed, jumping up and away from the spill. "That shit is hot."

"I'm sorry," Tori exclaimed, bending down and picking up the cup. As she attempted to wipe the excess liquid off her shoes, a napkin appeared in front of her face. She looked up into Beck's eyes once again. She hadn't even noticed that he had squatted next to her.

"Do you need this?" he asked. Tori quickly took the napkin from his hand, making every effort to not touch any part of his skin.

"Thank you," Tori said. Suddenly, Beck was yanked up by his arm. Jade was suddenly at his side. Jade stepped into the puddle of tea a little too hard, causing a small amount to fly up and splash Tori in the face.

"She can do that herself, Beck," Jade said, looking down on Tori as if she were looking down at a bug.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jade said as she noticed Tori wiping the tea off her face. "Did I do that?"

"Of course you did," Andre interjected, the annoyance in his voice clear. "Why the hell would you do that?"

"It was an accident," Jade said, though her tone would have indicated otherwise. She offered her hand to Tori to help her up, and reluctantly, Tori took it. Her grip was ice cold and a little too tight as it helped her to her feet. "Tori, right? I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," Tori said, pulling her hand from Jade's and massaging it slightly. She didn't look Beck's way again.

"I'm glad," Jade said, turning on her heel. "We all better go if we don't want to be late for vocals. Hopefully your voice is better than your ability to hold a cup steady." With that she walked away. Beck stood awkwardly.

"I'm sorry about that," he said to Tori, but Tori turned her attention to Andre and changed the subject.

"I'm sorry about your shoes," she said to her friend.

"It's okay," Andre said, ruffling her hair and causing her to giggle. "But she is right, we should head to class now."

"Let's race!" Cat exclaimed, shaking out her arms as if she was a sprinter in training.

"Cat," Robbie said, rolling his eyes. "I don't think anyone here wants to-"

"That's a great idea!" Tori exclaimed, surprising everybody. "I'll do it."

"Tori," Andre said, shooting her a confused look. "You hate running."

"No, I don't," Tori said, brushing off Andre's comment and turning to look at Cat. "You ready?"

"Tori," Robbie said, equally confused. "Is everything alri-"

"READY, SET, GO!" Cat exclaimed, running off. Tori ran after her, leaving all the boys behind. As they approached their vocals class a couple minutes later, Tori was grasping her chest and breathing heavily.

"Yay, I win!" Cat said as she opened the door, plopping happily in her seat. Tori followed her slowly, wiping the sweat that had broken out on her brow. Jade sat on the other side of the classroom, eyeing them as they took their seats.

"You win," Tori conceded, sitting next to her and placing her head on the desk.

"Thanks for racing with me, even though you hate running."

"I don't hate running, Cat."

"Yes, you do," Cat said, and Tori turned to see her friend's stare. She made the statement matter-of-factly. "But thanks anyway. I've never seen you run that fast. What were you running from?"

At that moment, Andre, Robbie, and Beck appeared in the doorway, followed by Sikowitz, who was subbing for their Vocals professor that day. Beck glanced at her, Tori frozen by his eyes. But then Jade was there again, out of her seat and pulling him to the other side of the room.

"Tori?" Cat asked as Robbie sat next to her, searching for something in his backpack. "What were you running from?" Tori allowed her eyes to wander to the other side of the room, but then snapped her head back again to answer Cat's question.

"Nothing."

oooooooo

Hi everybody. I apologize for being late with an update, but nursing school is insane. I hope you liked the chapter, I should be picking it up with the intimate moments soon. I'm sorry to those of you who are disappointed with the slight lack of it, but I'm trying really hard to develop the story to the best of my ability. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy. **PLEASE REVIEW**


	7. Chapter 7

Word of not only Beck's attendance in school, but also Jade's, spread like a wildfire quickly throughout the tiny college campus of Hollywood Arts. Many enjoyed the presence of fame, some for pointers and others with hope for opportunity to just be blatant kiss ups and moochers. Tori could have put up with this, but the only problem was that it wasn't the one day occurrence that she was expecting it to be. Apparently, Jade had two weeks off due to her show currently being on location, focusing on scenes involving another one of the main characters of the show. Having shot her scenes, Jade had decided to stay behind and just catch up on class time. Or so she said.

Jade's arrival back to campus let loose the tension that Tori felt toward her during their encounters for the past few years. Tori, being the pleasant person she prided herself on being, usually got along with everybody. She could handle Trina's drunken rages and sober moments of stupidity. She could handle Cat's highs on various drugs and could handle the little squabbles between Robbie and Andre about which guitar chord sounded better in what song. What she couldn't handle was the blatant nastiness that Jade directed toward her, which only seemed to be intensified when Beck was around.

The past two weeks had also found Beck's presence a constant in the hallways of the little college. He was currently in between jobs, having just wrapped a guest spot on a TV series and starting prep work for an independent movie, which he was honestly more excited about. Tori couldn't help but notice that he seemed to enjoy the smaller projects, especially relishing those moments when he was allowed to put input in, help write the script, or even help direct. Beck wouldn't know that she caught these bits of conversation, as she had been actively avoiding him (whether it was obvious or not, she wasn't sure).

Tori and Beck had exchanged pleasant conversation in the past couple weeks, but she had always run away when it came to any close contact or implications of in depth conversation. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to him; if she were to be completely honest with herself (and that was hard for her, she could admit), she thought about him a lot. Thinking back to their night at the bar, she enjoyed the easy conversation and truly couldn't think of the last time she had talked to anyone like that. Not even Cat or Andre had developed a repertoire with her like Beck had. This wasn't even counting the affects he had on her body.

Beck only ever texted her to inquire about the project, but in person she always caught him staring at her out of the corner of his eye. She wondered if the equal distance meant that she had that same affect on him, but she knew she'd never have the nerve to ask him. They talked and always kept that safe, arm's length distance between them. If Jade was there, it was a three foot distance. But sometimes, she looked up and caught Beck's eye, their gazes locking with that same magnetic attraction as the night at the bar. And Tori felt the same thing every time; as if someone had just punched her in the chest, leaving her winded. Her lungs were filling up, and it was like she was drowning. She felt this overwhelming feeling of anxiety, fueled by a fire she hadn't even realized ignited inside of her. But every time she felt her foot take a step forward towards him, Jade always seemed to materialize out of nowhere, pulling his head down to hers in a ferocious kiss. And then Tori would redirect, walking right past them and not fully understanding the knot that would form in her stomach.

ooooooooooo

It was a lazy Wednesday afternoon in Sikowitz's class. Andre and Cat were doing a scene in front of the class, a break from the past couple weeks of Beck and Jade. At a lot of their classmates' requests, they had been doing a majority of the acting exercises, as if their skills would rub off on everybody. Beck had been acting with a lot of girls in the class, but Jade always took the majority of the roles. Her combination of superior acting skills and scare tactics assured that any intimate acting moments were shared by her and only her. This was annoying to Tori, Andre, and Robbie. Cat was in her own world, as usual.

However, the annoyance couldn't compare with the overwhelming discomfort that was surrounding Tori at the moment. She could handle Jade's nastiness, usually giving it back to her in her own short bursts of courage. The overwhelming confusion and heat that surrounded her whenever Beck was around her was easily squashed if she kept her mind in a strong place and avoided eye contact. But what was the most annoying about the celebrity presence was that people who barely ever showed up to class had now been coming every day, as if their perfect attendance record suddenly mattered. Rider was one of those people.

Her ex sat across the room, leaning back lazily in his signature leather jacket. Tori couldn't help but notice that he was wearing a shirt she had given him for his birthday a couple months ago, and she hated herself for remembering that moment in detail. He'd been trying to catch her eye for a couple of days, but Andre's protective presence had stopped any contact he could have made. But now, with Andre at the front of the class and not paying attention, Rider was openly staring, as if undressing her with his eyes. She crossed her legs tighter and crossed her arms across her chest, hoping he would get the message: stay away.

"Excellent work!" Sikowitz yelled, causing everyone's attention to jump to the front of the room as Cat and Andre finished their scene. "Good work, you two! I expected nothing less." Andre resumed his seat next to her, placing his hand over hers in a reassuring gesture. Cat bounced down the aisle, placing a long kiss on Robbie's lips before she took her seat.

"Ms. Valentine," Sikowitz said, rolling his eyes. "Please restrain your passionate nature until you get back to the comfort of your own home."

"What's wrong, Sikowitz?" Rider asked from his corner of the room, in a voice that Tori recognized as his sarcastic drawl. "Jealous that a total loser gets more action than you do?"

"HEY!" Cat yelled as she jumped up.

"What's your problem man?" Andre yelled, jumping up as well behind the red head. Robbie scratched the back of his head, remaining silent as he cast his eyes downward. The awkward and embarrassed look on his face made Tori's heart wrench as she shot Rider a death glare.

"Fuck you, you prick."

Tori's reaction made her surrounding classmates gasp. Even Andre and Cat were taken aback by the venom in her words.

"That's quite enough, Mr. Daniels," Sikowitz said, an authority he barely used booming in his voice. "I'd ask you to leave my class, but considering this is the first time you've shown up since the beginning of the semester, I'm going to let that go. As long as that's okay with Mr. Shapiro." Robbie's head popped up quickly, his expression showing that he clearly did not expect to be brought into this conversation.

"Um…yeah, okay," Robbie said, a stutter in his voice. Cat leaned in, weaving her arm through his and placing a kiss on his temple. Robbie smiled, but it was clear that Rider's words were still bothering him. Everyone turned their attention back to Sikowitz.

"Before we were so rudely interrupted," Sikowitz continued. "As I was saying, good job Mr. Harris and Ms. Valentine. Next, I'd like to do something a little different. A scene from the movie _Stand Down_. How many are familiar?" Tori saw only a few of her classmates raise their hands, Beck being among them. Sikowitz nodded as he began handing out the scripts to the class.

"Ah, Mr. Oliver, since you're such a celebrity this week, why don't you take the role of our villain with the change of heart?" Sikowitz asked, as Beck shrugged and stepped forward.

"Ms. West, why don't you take the role of the ex lover with passion for the cause and a lot of anger?" Jade stepped forward, eyebrow raised as she began to peruse the script.

"And…" Sikowitz paused, scanning the room for his perfect candidate. Tori cringed as his eyes landed on her. "Ms. Vega, you can portray our captive who seems to warming Mr. Oliver's heart." Tori felt Jade's eyes on her immediately, the cold stare sending chills down her spine.

"I…" Tori said, her throat suddenly dry. She swallowed. "I don't think I'd be right for that part."

"Why not Tori?" Cat asked, turning around in her seat to face her. "You and Beck have great chemistry." Tori kicked her friend's chair.

"Ow!" Cat exclaimed. "Why did you do that? It's true, the last acting exercise you guys did together was great."

"She's right, Ms. Vega," Sikowitz said, pointing his hand at her. "Now, please come down here."

"I want her part," Jade said, not taking her eyes of Tori as she made her slow decent to the front of the classroom.

"Ms. West, I have given you free reign for the past couple weeks. I think it's time I resumed my role of teaching, don't you? Unless you feel you wouldn't be able to portray this part to the best of your ability." That statement shut Jade up, her sitting down in a chair and beginning to peruse the papers in her hand more intently. He had played on her pride, and it had worked.

"Okay, class, everyone read over it. It's not too long of a scene. Think communism kidnapping meets star crossed-lovers, alright? Fifteen minutes and then we perform." Sikowitz went back to his desk as the whole class became silent. Tori read the script in her hand, almost cringing. Her character was Sarah, a daughter of a US official who had been kidnapped by a terrorist group in order to try and prove a point to their cause. Jade's character was Anya, a rebel leader who wanted nothing more than to kill Sarah and hang her body from a bridge for the world to see. Still desperately in love with Anton, Beck's character, she treated Sarah worse than she could have due to the fact that Anton treated her so well. Anton, in turn, was once so passionate to the cause but upon meeting his captive, he had been undergoing changes.

Tori looked at Beck out of the corner of her eye, intrigued by his intense focus on the script he was reading. While Jade was angry, stomping her feet every couple of minutes, Beck tuned the world out as he read, the character seeming to jump out of the script and embrace him. It was moving, in a way. Tori read more, hoping to follow his lead and block out all the distractions in the room. Too soon, Sikowitz clapped his hands to bring everybody to attention.

"Okay everyone, are we ready? Ms. Vega and Ms. West, the scene starts with you two. Ms. Vega, please take a seat in the chair. Remember, you are a captive who is scared but with a spirit that isn't breaking. And Ms. West…well, you're angry. Ready?" Tori took her seat, putting her hands behind her back as if bound. Beck stepped to the side, as he didn't enter until a couple of minutes in. Jade stood five feet away, a fire of anger and something else Tori didn't recognize burning in her eyes.

"Action!" Sikowitz yelled, and the whole class went quiet. Jade wasted no time in rushing forward and crouching down in front of Tori, grabbing a fistful of her shirt.

"'What do you want from me?'" Tori asked, her expression taking on a look of both fear and defiance. Jade smirked.

"'I want you to bleed. I want you to know the pain people like you inflict every day that they are alive and breathing.'"

"'I haven't done anything to you! Let me go!'"

"'And what would that accomplish?'" Jade asked, shoving Tori slightly as she let her go and straightened up. "'Do you think your daddy's gonna help you? Your country feels you are disposable.'" Jade smirked as she said her next line.

"'And apparently, so does that man you came here with. Tell me, Sarah, do you hike your skirt up for every man who takes you on a little boat ride?'" A surge of anger rose in Tori as she saw the condescending look on Jade's face. Acting or not, the malice in her words had a little too much enjoyment behind them. She reached out her leg and kicked Jade's shin, hard. Jade glared and raised back her hand, as if to slap her like the script had intended the original actor to. She was sure she would have succeeded if Beck's character wasn't supposed to intervene at that moment, which he did.

"'Anya,'" Beck said, gripping her hand in midair as he stood behind her. "'What are you doing? The boss said don't hurt her.'"

"'Like he would know if she was slapped or not. She kicked me!'"

"'Don't hurt her,'" Beck said again, words firm. Jade wrenched her hand from his grip, the anger radiating from her so palpable that Tori was slightly worried to breathe.

"'Why do you take care of her?'" Jade asked, her voice rising. "'You never took care of me like that.'"

"'Anya-'"

"'You brought her food the other night, Anton!'" Jade brought herself closer to Beck, their faces an inch apart. "'The night she spit in Marko's face! And instead of punishing her, you bring her a meal?! How dare you!'" Beck relaxed into his stance, crossing his arms over his chest.

"'He had no right to touch her like that.'"

"'You talk as if she has rights!'"

"'She's a human being.'"

"'She's the ENEMY!'" Jade exploded, stepping back and indicating to Tori. "'She's a piece of filth.'"

"'I think you need to go,'" Beck said, his voice firm and expression stern. Jade looked at him in disbelief and then stomped past him.

"'Fine, but you better be careful. When you roll around with filth, then you're just as dirty.'" Beck stepped forward and crouched down in front of Tori, placing a strand of hair behind her ear. She purposely kept her head down. This was the part of the scene that she was dreading.

"'Are you alright?'"

"'I'm fine.'"

"'Then why won't you look at me?'"

"'You're one of them.'"

"'You told me you were not as horrible as we made you out to be. You asked me to give you the benefit of the doubt. I am doing that. I feel it is only appropriate you do the same for me.'"

"'What are you doing here anyway?"' Tori asked. Beck hooked his finger under her chin, raising her eyes to meet his. There was that gaze again, the eyes with the endless questions. Tori was glad her hair was framing her face, because she could feel that heat again, turning her cheeks pink with blush.

"'I missed you,'" he breathed, and Tori's breath caught in her throat.

"'I…I…'"

Suddenly, someone's cell phone went off, breaking the spell and causing the whole class to groan.

"It was getting to the good part!" Cat yelled somewhere out of Tori's line of vision.

"May I remind you all that cell phones have to be on vibrate!" Sikowitz said, suddenly taking his place at the front of the class.

"It's time to leave anyway," Jade said, holding up her own cell phone and showing that it was indeed five minutes over their class time. Tori could feel Jade's eyes on her.

"Ah, so it is. What a shame! Great job to everyone who participated today. See you all next class!"

Tori shook her head, shaking the character of Sarah out of her mind. She released her hands from behind her back, but noticed Beck hadn't moved.

"Are you going to tell me why you're avoiding me?"

"I don't think your girlfriend wants you talking to me."

"She doesn't want me talking to anyone," Beck said, rising and holding his hand out to her to help her up. "So, what's the real reason?" Tori didn't take his hand as she rose, turning to scan the classroom, half expecting Jade to be breathing over her shoulder. Surprisingly, she was in conversation with Andre, although Tori knew that wouldn't last long.

"I have to go," Tori said, ignoring Beck's question and running up to her chair to grab her bag. As she reached her seat, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Half expecting to see Beck, Tori turned, only to be confronted by Rider's sarcastic smirk.

"Hey babe," he said, running his hand down her arm. She moved away quickly.

"I'm not your babe. What do you want?"

"I want to have lunch with you. Maybe catch up?"

"No," Tori said flatly, attempting to side step him. He blocked her path.

"Why not?"

"I have plans."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"Doing what?"

"Working on our project," a voice said. Tori looked up and saw Beck, a look of annoyance on his face. Rider stepped back, still wearing the smirk Tori hated so much, and held out his hand.

"Beck, nice to see you. I'm Rider Daniels."

"Pleasure," Beck said, half heartedly shaking his hand before turning his attention back to Tori. "You ready to go?" Tori half held out her hand, hesitating. Beck had given her an out, and for that she was grateful, but she didn't feel like dealing with Jade. As if reading her mind, Beck gripped her hand tightly and pulled her along.

"Can you tell Jade I'll see her later? Thanks." Beck called over his shoulder to Cat, who waved goodbye to them as if they were leaving on a vacation. She saw Jade turn slightly out of the corner of her eye, but before anything could be said, they were gone.

oooooooooo

When he was sure they were not only a safe distance from their acting class, but completely off campus and across the street, Beck turned his attention to the girl he had drug behind him. She was panting, her face flushed. And even so, she was still pretty.

"Was that your ex?" Beck asked, adjusting his bag on the opposite shoulder. Looking down, he realized he still had a hold on Tori's hand. Her eyes followed his, and yet neither of them made a move to break the link.

"Yes," Tori said, still looking down at their hands.

"He seems like an asshole."

"He is."

"I think this is the part where you thank me for saving the day," Beck said, half joking, half hoping she would look up. She did, a defiant look in her eyes.

"I was fine."

"Didn't seem it. Looked like you were in need of a rescue."

"You didn't have to rescue me."

"Really? If so, why are you still holding my hand?" Beck watched as she looked down at their hands again, whipping hers away as her cheeks flushed a deeper shade that had nothing to do with being winded. She avoided his eyes as she mumbled, "thanks."

"You're welcome," he said. Tori looked up and offered him a small smile, which he returned gratefully.

"So… I guess we should work on our project," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"I have a feeling Jade won't like that."

"I'm hanging out with a friend and doing a school project. There's nothing wrong with that." Tori shot him an inquisitive look.

"We're friends now?"

Beck thought about this for a minute. The girl in front of him was someone he knew and someone he didn't know. But she wasn't a stranger anymore. She had crossed his mind on more than one occasion, especially lately when he noticed that even though he had been around her more, he had seen her less. He wanted to know her, and he had to start somewhere.

"Why not?" he asked her. "Let's be friends." Tori looked at him up and down, as if trying to figure out if he was telling a joke or not. Finally, she slowly nodded her head.

"Okay." They just stared at each other and, surprisingly, Tori took a step closer to him.

"I still feel Jade's gonna hunt me down. I don't really wanna go back to campus and have her yell at me for spending time with her boyfriend. She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you."

"You're lying," Tori said, her eyes staring directly into his and stopping him in his tracks. Whenever she looked at him like that, he instantly felt grounded and glued to where he stood. He felt out of control of his own body. He didn't like it.

Shaking off her stare, he smirked and held his hands up in mock surrender.

"I am. But look, we have to work on our project. So why don't we go somewhere?"

"Go somewhere?" she asked. He nodded, and she contemplated for a moment. "Where do you wanna go?"

"My house?"

"No," Tori said immediately, almost too quickly. Beck held back a laugh, but continued.

"Your house?"

"No, my sister might be home."

"Library?"

"Can't really talk about ideas in a library."

"Get food and talk there?"

"Then it'll be too noisy."

"Then YOU think of an idea," Beck said to her. "I give up." Tori placed her chin upon her hand, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. Suddenly, she straightened, turning and beginning to walk.

"Come on, I know the perfect place."

ooooooooo

"Where did Tori go with my boyfriend?" Jade demanded of Andre. They stood in the courtyard, students weaving every which way around them. Cat and Robbie stood behind Andre, as if they were children hiding from a monster in the closet. And between them was Andre, ever the level headed one and father figure, here to stop the monster.

"I don't know," Andre said, for what must have been the tenth time since they left their class. "Why don't you call him?"

"He's not picking up the phone," Jade said. "I have to go meet with my producer. He knew I had to leave."

"He said he'd see you later," Cat piped from behind Andre. "Remember when I told you that?"

"I remember!" Jade said, her raised voice causing Cat to jump back a couple inches. "But he left with _her_."

"HER name is Tori. She's doing a project with Beck, remember? Not fucking him in the woods somewhere."

"Like she wouldn't."

"You don't even know her," Robbie said, stepping out from behind Andre. "She's not like that."

"I've seen the way she looks at him."

"How do you know he's not the one looking at her?" Cat asked, perfectly unaware of the implications her question might have. Jade shot her a death glare, causing a squeak to escape Cat's mouth before she took shelter behind Andre again.

"You know," Jade said coolly, crossing her arms over her chest. "You should lay off the drugs, Valentine. They're gonna ruin your tiny brain even more."

"Leave her alone," Robbie said, but Jade shot him a look as well.

"Enough," Andre said, stepping between the two. "Look, go to your meeting. I'll call you tomorrow to talk about our project. But you need to leave before I say something I'll regret."

"You?" Jade said incredulously, laughing in his face. "I'm not gonna be scared of someone who can't even be honest with himself."

"What are you talking about?" Andre asked, but then shook his head, changing his mind. "You know what? I don't want to know. I'll talk to you later. Let's go, guys." With that, Andre turned away, Robbie and Cat in tow.

"Hey," Jade called after him. "We're writing a romance, right? I've got the perfect idea. Why don't we write about the guy who's in love with his best friend, but doesn't have the balls to tell her?"

Andre turned around, ready to return fire, but Jade had already walked away, the sound of her boots slapping the pavement becoming distant.

"What was she talking about?" Cat asked, digging around in her purse and pulling out her pack of cigarettes. Andre stole one, ignoring her protest as he lit up.

"I have no idea."

ooooooooo

"I thought you said we couldn't go to your place."

"We can't," Tori said, taking her shoes off at the entrance to her dorm room. Beck followed her into the tiny space, slightly shocked at how prim everything looked. The small kitchen and living room area looked exactly like the other HA dorms he had seen in the past while hanging out with old friends, the only difference being this one looked uninhabited.

"If we can't go to your place, why are we in your dorm room?" Beck asked, taking a seat on her couch. She sat beside him, bringing her notebook out of her bag.

"I don't really stay here much," she said. Beck raised an eyebrow.

"But you're paying for it."

"…yeah," Tori said, avoiding his eyes. "Well, Trina needs me."

"This is your older sister, right?"

"Yes."

"Why does the older sister need the younger sister so much?" Beck asked, lowering his head so he could look Tori in the eye again. Tori slammed her hands down on her lap.

"She just does," she said, shoving her notebook aside and walking to the little kitchen. "Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"There's actually food here?" Beck asked, not able to contain the surprise in his voice as he stared after her. She was avoiding him again.

"You don't have to sound so surprised," Tori called from the kitchen. He stood and followed her, standing back as he watched her rifle through her cabinets. The refrigerator door was open, revealing a bottle of vodka, a bottle of soda, a container of vegetable dip with no vegetables, and an empty pizza box, which she had taken two slices from and put in the microwave to reheat. He turned and surveyed the tiny dorm room, noticing the door to her bedroom was slightly ajar. He couldn't see much, but he knew there probably wasn't much to look at anyway. Most kids at their school loved the dorming situation here. He didn't understand why she didn't.

Tori turned quickly and, not realizing he was behind her, slammed directly into him. Beck felt a sting of moist heat on his back and then heard Tori gasp.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Turning, Beck saw a horrified expression on her face and the plate containing two slices of pizza in her hand; both slices now looked ruined with patches of cheese and sauce missing. It didn't take him long to realize that they were probably stuck to the back of his shirt.

"It's really not a big dea-"

"Take off your shirt."

"Wait, what?" Beck asked, confused.

"Take it off so I can wash it!" Tori said, an edge in her voice. "I'm so sorry, it must have been so expensive." Beck shrugged.

"Tori, it's really not-"

"Please don't argue with me," Tori said, putting the plate on the counter and rushing forward. "Either you take it off or I will take it off for you." Beck raised an eyebrow at her. He wondered if she would follow through on her threat, and felt a tug pull at him as he saw the determined look in her eyes. If she didn't seem so manic, he honestly would have pushed her to see if she was serious or not. But instead, he slowly pulled the shirt over his head and handed it to her. She reached forward to grab it, their hands lingering as she just looked at him. He wanted to know what she was thinking.

"Thanks," she mumbled, turning away for him and starting to run the water in the sink.

"You're washing my shirt with Palmolive?"

"I don't remember the code to the laundry room and I don't have any detergent here."

"What if I told you it was dry clean only?" Tori turned, eyes shocked and mouth ready to utter another apology. But before she could, he placed a hand on her lower back comfortably.

"I'm just kidding," he said into her ear. He felt her stiffen under his touch, and he pulled away as he breathed her in. She still smelled like peaches and baby powder, but without the presence of the bar smells, it was more intense. He felt like he could get drunk off her scent. What was this girl doing to him?

"So," he said, turning his attention to the cabinets. "Now that the pizza's out, I'm guessing we will have to think of something else."

Five minutes later when Tori had arranged Beck's shirt on her counter to dry, she turned to find him holding the bottle of vodka and the soda in one hand and a box of chocolate chip cookies in the other.

"Really?" she asked him, smiling despite herself. He returned her grin.

"You really don't have much to work with here." He indicated to the couch. "Shall we?"

"Yes," Tori said, taking one of the bottles from him to lighten his load. "We shall."

oooooo

Jade walked into her producer's office, taking a seat comfortably across from him as if she owned the place. He grinned at her.

"How's my favorite cold hearted bitch?"

"Pissed off," she said, brushing off his comment. Her producer and her got along fairly well, as he was one of the few who wasn't put off by her attitude. He said it made her perfect for her role.

"Ah, well, I'm sorry to hear that. But I am on a bit of a tight schedule, so I just wanna get right down to it. We've finally finished writing the second half of the season, and I just wanted to tell you we decided we were going to pursue putting a 'rival' role in there for you, if you will."

"Okay?" Jade said, honestly not sure what this had to do with her.

"Well, as you know, you're not the easiest person to get along with." Jade couldn't argue with that, and when her producer saw her make no move to protest, he continued. "So, Jade, I would like to give you the option to suggest an actress to me. I need someone who you can have great fire and ice chemistry with."

"You know I don't exactly have many female friends, right?" she asked. He smirked at her.

"I'm giving you the opportunity to pick someone to work with. I suggest you take it. I trust your judgment. Don't make me regret it, okay honey?"

Jade sat back, blowing her hair out of her face.

"Think hard. We need someone sweet, but with a bit of bite. Someone who you could really see yourself hating."

After several minutes, Jade sat up quickly, a smirk on her now mischievous expression.

"I know the perfect girl."

oooooooooo

Hi everyone! I'm sorry that this update wasn't exactly one that came quickly, but school is really kicking my ass. I have to say, this chapter probably isn't the most "action packed", but I have put a lot of side thoughts in here that I didn't see happening anywhere else. And they will open a lot of plot twists that I want to put in at a later date.

I just want everyone to know that this story is rated M for drugs, violence, drinking, cursing, and yes, sex. And there WILL be sex(lots of it), but I want to write this story well, too. So, I hope you can bear with me. As always, **PLEASE REVIEW**. It's kind of a drive to try and post a chapter as soon as I can, you know? Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend :0)


	8. Chapter 8

"Favorite food?" Beck asked, watching as Tori smirked through a mouthful of vodka that she quickly chased with soda.

"I'll eat anything if it tastes good," she said, a drunken slur in her words as she looked out the window. The sun was setting, and she smiled as the pink glow of the sun danced off her face and hair, as if she was basking in it. Beck kept watching her through intoxicated eyes, wondering whether or not this made her more attractive to him all of a sudden. They had sat down a couple hours earlier, eaten cookies, drank, and hashed ideas out about their project. They had done very well, which surprised them both, and had narrowed their script down to three ideas. But then Beck had brought up an interesting point.

"It might help to collaborate with you if I know you a little better." Tori had tilted her head to the side, not quite sure what he meant. But then he started asking her questions. What was her favorite movie? What kind of music did she listen to? What kind of books did she like to read? These were little questions that she had thrown back at him in turn, pleasant conversation blooming from their innocent inquiries. This was hours ago, and it seemed like they were nowhere close to being finished. That didn't bother either of them, though.

"You'll eat anything?" Beck asked, a mischievous grin playing on his lips as she smacked his arm playfully.

"Well, maybe not anything." He laughed as she relayed his own question back to him.

"What about you?"

"I'm pretty much the same way," Beck said, taking a cookie and stuffing it into his mouth. "I always make my own food, so I've gotten pretty good with experimenting over the years."

"You cook?" she asked, surprised.

"I don't claim to be a gourmet chef, but yeah, I can cook. I lived in the trailer, so I didn't want to end up going back into the house every time I wanted to eat. So, I kinda just started buying my own groceries. Making my own stuff. You can only eat so many sandwiches."

"Trailer?" Tori asked, confused and yet, still impressed with the boy sitting a foot away from her on the couch. He reached up and ran his fingers through his hair, his torso stretching and revealing a peak of the black boxers he wore beneath his jeans. His shirt still lay on her counter, slightly damp and not quite ready for wearing. Tori knew she should go check on it, but her drunken legs were determined to stay rooted. Beck brought his hand back down to his lap, smiling at her question.

"Yeah, I lived in my own trailer."

"I thought you had an apartment?"

"I do," Beck said, adjusting his position on the couch and inadvertently, scooting closer. "I've only had it for the past couple months, though. When I was in high school, my parents had a trailer in the drive-way, and I lived there."

"By choice?" Tori asked, adjusting her position as she hugged her knees closer to her chest.

"I like to have my own space, I guess," Beck said, shrugging. "It was kind of like, 'my own place, my own rules' mentality. And it wasn't like I wasn't home. My parents were literally 50 feet away." Tori noticed that he smiled with a sort of nostalgia as he described his old place.

"Why'd you move?" she asked, and Beck shot her a surprised look. Tori continued. "I just mean, from what you're telling me, you seemed happier there." One thing Tori had learned about Beck over the past month was that even though he enjoyed the money he was making, the fame and dollar amount accumulating in his pocket really weren't changing him. He really did enjoy simple things, and that made a different feeling bloom inside of her. It wasn't the smoldering fire between her legs that she was having a harder and harder time killing off every time he was near. No, this feeling was different. It was a warmth in her chest, one that had spread to her stomach, as if she had drank something hot. It was something she didn't understand; she'd never felt it before.

"Well," Beck said, taking the vodka bottle from her hand and taking a mouthful before continuing. "Jade thought it was time for me to, I believe her words were, 'grow up.' I don't know, I guess celebrities shouldn't be living in trailers?"

"Hm," Tori said, cocking her head to the side in contemplation. "I thought you said you weren't a celebrity."

"I'm not," he said, flashing a cocky grin at her. Tori leaned forward a bit, vodka and Sprite on her breath.

"Well, if you're not a celebrity, then I think you can live wherever you want." He looked at her as she said this, noticing the sincerity behind her mocking tone. He didn't even think about it when he took her hand, running his thumb over the soft skin.

"I still go there sometimes. To get away. That place holds a lot of memories for me, good and bad. But I figure that doesn't matter. You gotta learn from your experiences. And memories are still experiences, you know?"

Tori did know, and she looked around her tiny dorm room, thinking of her own scattered memories that had taken place around her. Her drunken mind brought forth her thoughts, playing them like projections. Beck looked at her, a curious expression on his face. He squeezed her hand, bringing her attention back to him.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, almost a whisper. Tori smirked, taking the bottle back from him and sipping it slowly. She had reached the threshold of drunk where having a chaser didn't matter so much to her anymore. She liked the alcohol burning her lips, not noticing Beck's eyes as they followed her tongue, slowly licking away the excess as it dripped from her mouth.

"See that?" Tori said, indicating to the door of her tiny dorm bedroom. "I had to lock Cat in my room for a week once."

"When did this happen?" he asked. Beck didn't bother to ask why. He had an inkling any story involving Cat had to be drug related.

"Our freshman year was bad for her," Tori said, taking another mouthful of vodka. "She was drinking a lot. She'd put anything in her body to help her just not think about growing up or real life. Once, she literally thought she was in Wonderland for three days. It was scary. And Danny wasn't helping much."

"Danny?"

"Her boyfriend," Tori said, reaching out and taking a cookie from the bag. "Well, ex-boyfriend. He was worse than she was. I felt like Cat kept trying to catch up with him, but he was somewhere else altogether. I've never seen someone overdose that many times and live."

"Is he still living?" Beck asked, imagining the small red head chasing a faceless boy through a glowing door to the other side. He knew she loved to party from the short time he'd known her, but honestly couldn't imagine a dying version of her due to her vices. She seemed too happy to fit the part.

"Supposedly, he's in rehab. But he got kicked out of Hollywood Arts. They gave him so many chances, but he just kept fucking up. I have no idea what him and Cat were doing, but one day she was in her dorm room, just staring and mumbling. Danny wasn't there. I think he got scared and ran, but I don't really know. She said she couldn't feel her legs. Robbie found her one the floor. She scared the shit out of him. He carried her up to my room. We locked her in, and took turns watching her. We had to barricade the door, give her food, water, and bags to throw up in when she wasn't trying to fight us. We took turns with class and with sleeping. I still have no idea what Danny gave her that caused all that shit to happen. I thought she was going to die."

Tori's eyes took on a far away look, and Beck knew she was replaying that moment in her mind. He wondered how she must have felt, if it was scary or not. He was sure it was probably terrifying. He wished he could have been there for her.

"Then what happened?" he asked.

"Well, on day five we opened the door, she punched me in the face, and tried to run away. Robbie grabbed her, basically tackling her to the ground. And then…"

She trailed off, turning her head slightly to look at the door. Beck felt like he could see the scene unfolding with her as she continued.

"He started freaking out. I was scared he was going to have a panic attack. He carries this ventriloquist dummy, you know? He used to talk out of it. None of us knew why. But Cat was the only one who ever told him that it didn't matter. And, he was just begging her to be okay. He said all he wanted was for her to calm down, she didn't have to stop. She just had to control herself. And… he just loved her. He loved her so much."

Beck looked at Tori, seeing her eyes hold a combination of sadness and awe. It didn't occur to him until that moment how much she really did love her friends. He could see it, sure, but the depth in her eyes right now really was tugging at his heartstrings. He cared about his friends, Andre being one of the people he would gladly take a bullet for, but he had to wonder if he'd ever been touched like that. Tori turned to him, a small smile on her lips.

"So, after that, Cat kissed him, and he passed out. We had to take him to the hospital. He was only there for one night, but I've never seen Cat look more terrified in all the time we've been friends. She never left his side. When they left the hospital the next day, they were together. And I guess the rest is history."

They were both silent for a while, exchanging the bottles of vodka and soda, taking more and more sips as they went. Tori studied Beck's silhouette out of the corner of her eye, taking in his thin but strong frame. She reached over to turn on the lamp on the table, as it was dark outside by now. She watched as his body glowed in the golden light, the lack of a shirt making her realize how warm his skin looked. Her drunken mind was telling her to reach out and touch him, but she restrained herself.

"That's quite a story," Beck whispered.

"It's a great story," Tori said, agreeing with him. Beck suddenly sat upright.

"That should be our script!"

"What?" Tori asked, confused. "I thought we were gonna choose between these three." She pointed to the loose-leaf pieces of paper on the coffee table, which Beck quickly pushed aside with his arm. The pieces of paper flew to the ground, and Tori looked at him indignantly. He grinned at her despite this.

"Fuck that. The best stories come from personal experience."

"It's not exactly a tragedy."

"Not all tragedies end in death, Tori."

Hearing him say that, and honestly not being able to argue, Tori gave the idea some contemplation. She had to admit, it was a beautiful, sad story. One that would have been a beautiful base for their script. And it was a tragedy, in its own right.

"I don't think Cat and Robbie would appreciate me using their story," she said, tipping back another sip from the bottle into her mouth.

"We don't have to quote it word for word. Just take the general idea. Make it our own."

"How exactly are we going to spin this as a tragedy?" Tori asked, looking him in the eye. "I know not all tragedies end in death, but something beautiful came out of it. That's not tragic."

Beck thought for a moment, snapping his fingers suddenly when an idea came to him.

"When the guy wakes up in the hospital bed from his panic attack, they can tell each other they love each other. But then she can also tell him that she can't promise she's gonna stop. Because she can't imagine herself without drugs. It's not happening. It can end with him telling her even if he knows he's going to bury her, he is still going to love her. And she can say 'okay.'"

Tori just looked at him, touched and surprised by the fire she saw in his eyes. The scenario was indeed a sad tragedy, one with undertones of how love could just, honestly, fuck you over. It also captured Robbie and Cat's relationship on a level that she never thought of before. But Beck did. Because, in a way, that scenario wasn't far from the truth. Although Cat's drug use had gotten so much better, and Robbie's anxiety was virtually non-existent these days, the depth of their connection was one that would be constantly tested by the pull of their pasts. Beck somehow saw that and in less than ten minutes had managed to turn it into a beautiful piece of work. It was…

"Amazing," Tori mumbled, sipping at the bottle again. Beck took it from her, taking his own sip, a smile of genuine accomplishment playing on his face. He looked proud, excited, ready. He was beautiful.

"So, can that be our script?" he asked her, leaning forward and placing his hands together in a prayer pose, as if he was begging. "It's too good to pass up." Tori stuck her tongue out at him, finally relenting.

"Fine, that can be our script," she said, earning a triumphant laugh from the boy opposite of her. The laugh came from deep in his stomach, and suddenly, he reached out and hugged her, as if she had truly just given him a gift.

Tori didn't stiffen like she would have if she were sober. She instead enjoyed the warmth and let her body melt into his, bringing her arms to circle his waist as she laid her head on his shoulder. She felt him smile into her neck.

"I'm honestly excited," he said to her, a tone of happiness and slight embarrassment gracing his voice. Tori giggled.

"You sound like you're having a really good time," Tori told him, pushing away a little bit so she could look at his face. He shot her an incredulous look.

"I always have a good time when I'm with you," he told her, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She felt the fire as his skin brushed hers, suddenly very aware of how close their bodies were. She looked away, suddenly very interested in the coffee table.

"Of course you do, every time we're together, we are drunk."

"That's not true," Beck said. "We're not drunk when we're together in school."

"That's different. We don't exactly hang out in school."

"That's because you avoid me."

"I don't avoid you."

"Yes, you do. You may be a great actress Tori, but I can tell when you're lying." She glanced at him, the unrelenting way he looked at her a kind of magnet, keeping her trapped.

"So," he said, not giving up. "Why do you avoid me?"

"Your girlfriend is scary." Jade being brought up suddenly made Beck aware he was in a compromising position. But, instead of pulling away like he should have, he scooted closer. He knew that wasn't the only reason, and he wanted nothing more than to pull the truth from her lips. He suddenly knew that he wouldn't leave until he got the real answer.

"Tori, me having a scary girlfriend is not the reason you're avoiding me. Because if it was, everyone would be avoiding me. Now, what's the real reason?" Tori bit her lip, and Beck didn't notice as he got closer, the act causing a stirring beneath his jeans. He found himself wanting to be the one doing the biting. The alcohol clouding his judgment, he leaned forward slowly, only thinking about mimicking her mouth's actions. Tori put her hand between them in time to gently stop his mouth, bringing him back to reality. Beck kissed her palm, feeling the soft warmth beneath his lips. He leaned back and looked at her, noticing for the first time a nervous look in her eyes. It brought him back to reality slightly, the slow realization of what he had just attempted processing in his mind. In inappropriate response, he took another shot from the vodka bottle.

"That's why," she mumbled, confusing him.

"What?" he asked.

"That's why I avoid you," she said, her head shooting up as she looked at him directly in the eye, voice rising. "Because every time I'm near you, some weird feeling comes over me. It makes me feel like I'm sick, like I have a fever. Every time I'm near you, it's like you pull me in." Beck honestly didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell her that she made him feel like that too, but she continued on her tirade.

"It's scary. I JUST met you, and somehow you're always in my head, knowing what I'm thinking. It's weird, and I have no idea what's going on!" she said, throwing her arms up, as if she had given up on trying to figure out the explanation. He grabbed one of her wrists in his palm, bringing her hand to the vodka bottle.

"Take a shot and relax," he told her, and she did, slowly downing the last of what was left. It was an attempt to diffuse the situation with the one thing that seemed to make them honest with each other. They stayed quiet for a moment, Beck being the one to break the silence.

"I feel like we're in our own little world," he said, voice low, as if he was scared she was going to freak out again. She didn't though, and he looked up, only to find her looking out the window.

"We are," she whispered back to him. "But we can't stay here. It's not real." As if to prove her point, Beck's phone buzzed. Jade's name flashed across the screen, and Tori looked away. Beck took his phone and threw it on the ground, almost desperately reaching for the girl across from him. After a couple seconds, she looked up at him.

"It's not real," she repeated, smiling sadly at him. She suddenly looked tired, which wasn't a surprise considering they killed a bottle of vodka together. Beck too felt his eyelids starting to droop.

"Okay. It's not real. Doesn't mean it has to end yet, does it?" Tori looked at him like she was contemplating a decision. He was almost scared she was going to ask him to leave, but then she spoke.

"I'm tired," she said, rising and stretching, her shirt rising up to expose her stomach. He reached out and traced the hemline of her jeans. She didn't push him away.

"I'm tired too," he told her, rising as well and stumbling a bit. They were both drunk, they were both tired, and they both were insanely attracted to each other. But, neither was drunk enough to forget the buzzing of Beck's phone, his girlfriend on the other line. It was more than just Jade. It was the real world, calling to bring them back. And they could only ignore it for so long.

"Should I go?" he asked her. Tori shook her head.

"No, you're way too drunk to drive. And I'm way too drunk to drive." She held out her hand to him and he took it, enjoying the fit of her palm against his. He pulled her in, keeping her close enough to feel her heat, but far enough away so that their bodies weren't touching. The line they couldn't cross was there, along with the absence of explanations. Both of them didn't understand what was going on.

"So, what now?" he asked her.

"Now… we go to bed."

"Bed?" he asked her, glancing at the clock on the wall. It wasn't even nine o'clock yet.

"Yeah," she said, shooting him a stern look. "But just bed. To sleep. Next to a friend."

"We're friends?" he asked her, smirking at the irony of their situation and at the question she had asked him only hours before, now coming from his lips.

"Yes," she said, leading him to the bedroom. "We are just friends."

oooo

Beck followed her into the tiny space, surprised at how much different her room was from the rest of her dorm. It wasn't exactly decorated, but he could see Tori's personality clearly here. There were photos tacked to the walls, a few pieces of clothing strewn on the floor, and a thick, cushy, purple bedspread on a twin sized bed. Above the bed was a window, overlooking their campus.

"I like your room," he told her, observing the little space.

"It's not my room," she reminded him, pulling back the blanket and sitting down on the bed. He sat next to her, just looking her in the eye. She returned his stare, embracing the charged feeling instead of running. There was nowhere to run this time.

"I wanna get changed," she told him shyly. "Can you turn around?" Beck obliged by her request, but noticed he could see her darkened reflection in the window. Her back was to him as she pulled her shirt off, quickly slipping on a tank top from the floor. She then unhooked her bra through the shirt, and throwing it softly on the ground. She was shy, and for some reason, this was a turn on for him. Shimmying out of her jeans, he watched as the denim material slowly pooled around her ankles, her kicking out of them as she went.

"You know…" she started, not turning around. Beck put his head down anyway, almost as if he were afraid to get caught staring. "Its really hot in here."

"It is," he said, agreeing with her. "I wanted to ask if it was okay if I could sleep in my boxers. Jeans aren't exactly the most comfortable." Tori nodded.

"Yeah, that's fine," she said, and he glanced up at the window again, only to notice she was putting on a pair of pajama shorts. She was also staring at him. He felt her weight on the bed as she sat down and saw her look out the window. But he knew she wasn't looking out, she was looking in. She was looking at him in the glass.

He saw her raise her hand to place it on his shoulder, but he grabbed it before she could, pulling her forward and against his back. He felt her body through the thin fabric of her shirt, the softness of her breasts as they pushed into him. She placed her chin on his shoulder, her breath tickling his ear. She smelled like vodka and soda, her lips smiling a drunken smile. He vaguely wondered if either of them was going to remember anything tomorrow. They stayed like that for a while, just staring out at the lights of the city, looking at each other and not looking at each other.

"I love what I'm seeing," she said, her eyes shining as she observed the twinkling lights in the distance. "It's so beautiful." Beck looked at her through the window, catching her eye.

"Yeah, it is."

He wasn't referring to the lights, and she knew that. She swallowed, pulling away and breaking the trance. She was always doing that, and somewhere inside him, he was annoyed by this. But it was getting late, he was getting more sober, and it was becoming less acceptable to be with her like this. Tori knew that. She wanted to make sure he did, too.

"Why don't you lay down?" she mumbled, turning to face the doorway. "I won't look while you get changed." Beck wanted to point out to her that it didn't really matter, but knew that it was pointless. He unbuckled his belt, undid the button and the zipper, and awkwardly pulled his jeans off from his sitting position. He threw them somewhere on the floor, getting under the covers in an attempt to make her feel more comfortable. When he did this, she rose to flick the light switch off near the doorway, returning to the bed slowly. She glowed in the moonlight when she got closer, and this light on her was just as striking as the sunlight. It was like no matter what, he could never get tired of looking at her. She turned on her side and pulled her hair behind her neck, locking eyes with him. They just stared for a while.

"What are we doing?" she asked, no fear or anxiety behind her words. It was a simple question driven by curiosity. But he knew no more than she did.

"I don't know," he said, the honesty in his voice making him sound raw. "I'm not used to this."

"Used to what?"

"Not knowing what I'm doing."

"I guess you're not supposed to have all the answers sometimes," Tori said, shrugging. She was tired, and had, for the moment anyway, given up trying to figure out the odd connection they shared. He reached up, tracing the outline of her lips with his fingers.

"We're in our own world," he said. It was a simple statement of fact.

"Yeah…" Tori said, trailing off, not knowing where this was going.

"Would you say what happens here doesn't apply to the real world? You just said yourself, it's not real." Tori just looked at him, enjoying the feel of his fingertips.

"It isn't," she said. "So, I guess it doesn't apply."

"So, it's kind of like being in Vegas?" Beck asked, teasing her a bit. Tori let out an exasperated sigh, smiling slightly.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it Ve-"

Beck cut her off when he kissed her. His lips were a little dry, but they were soft, so soft and firm. Tori didn't move at first, but slowly, she responded by moving her mouth against his. He didn't touch her, didn't pull her close at all. Their only connection was their lips. When Tori opened her mouth to breathe, Beck slipped his tongue in, deepening their kiss. He tasted like vodka, but this onslaught wasn't as harsh as the liquor that was running down her throat only hours earlier. He was gentle and almost cautious, as if he knew she would pull away if given the chance. He didn't want to give her that chance.

But eventually they both pulled away, needing to come up for air. Beck opened his eyes slowly, noticing hers were still closed. He expected her tell tale brow furrow for when she was annoyed or angry, maybe even the worried expression that always seemed to be accompanied by her hand being pressed to her forehead in frustration. Instead, she just lay still, a serene expression on her face.

"Tori?" he asked, wondering if she had fallen asleep. Eyes still closed, she smiled.

"I feel like I'm dreaming," she said. "I think we're both dreaming."

"Do you want to be dreaming?" he asked her, knowing the answer before it even came.

"Yes. Because this isn't real."

Her words stung him a bit, and he was grateful her eyes were closed so that she couldn't see. It wasn't like she wasn't right, but he'd found himself less willing to let go of the moments they had been sharing since they met. He felt like a needy child. Never having once been needy in his life, Beck resented her a bit for making him feel like this.

He reached his arm out and placed it around her waist. She didn't push him away, but refused to move closer as he tried to bring her towards him. He didn't push the issue. For what seemed like the fiftieth time that night, they said nothing. Eventually, he heard Tori's breaths become even and slow as sleep took her. After what seemed like an eternity, he eventually felt his eyelids start to grow heavy. Before he drifted off, he whispered one of the questions that had been burning inside him since he met her.

"What are you doing to me?

ooooo

A high-pitched, happy pop song. That was what woke Tori up the next morning. Her head was killing her and she refused to open her eyes, because the sunlight filtering through her eyelids was unbearable enough as is. She reached her arm out from beneath her blanket, reaching blindly on the floor until she found the object making the noise. Her cell phone. Hitting the accept button without even bothering to look at who it was, Tori answered it.

"Hello," she said groggily, slightly horrified by how terrible she sounded.

"TORI!" Cat's voice shouted into her ear, startling her and causing her eyes to pop open as she flailed, crashing into something behind her. It was another person. Tori sat up quickly and turned, noticing Beck beside her, still sleeping. Almost instinctively, she looked down at herself, grateful that she was still dressed. Confused, she closed her eyes for a second, allowing her breathing to return to normal. She started to remember pieces of the night before and had to remind herself, yes, they had slept together but no, they hadn't slept together.

"Tori?" Cat's voice said on the other end of the receiver, although less intense this time. Stifling a groan, Tori brought the phone closer to her ear.

"Hi Cat," Tori said, slowly allowing her eyes to adjust to the light of the room. She felt terrible. Apparently, this was not hard to pick up on.

"You sound awful," Cat said. "You should have told me you were sick. I made soup last night."

"I'm fine," Tori said, rising from the bed and walking to the bathroom. She needed to wash her face.

"Well, where are you?" Cat asked. "Sikowitz is looking for you." Tori pulled the phone back from her face and glanced at the time. She had already missed her dance class, but her acting class didn't start for another two hours. What could her teacher possibly want?

"I'll be there soon," Tori said, keeping her voice down as she glanced back into her room. Beck was still sleeping, and she didn't want to wake him up.

"Why are you whispering?" Cat asked, chewing on some food Tori couldn't see.

"Trina had a rough night last night," Tori said, almost ashamed at how easy the lie rolled off her tongue. "That's why I'm running a little late." Tori searched her cabinet for the toothbrush she knew she kept there, pulling out her face wash in the process as well.

"Really?" Cat said, surprised. "Because I thought I saw your car in the parking lot when I got here earlier." Tori felt a slight feeling of panic rise in her throat that had nothing to do with her toothbrush.

"Nope," Tori said, now rushing through her morning routine as she held the phone between her ear and shoulder. "I didn't stay here last night. Definitely not mine."

"Are you sure? Because I thought I-"

"Cat," Tori said, cutting her friend off. "Did they have anything good to eat in the cafeteria today?" She heard a sharp intake from her friend's mouth.

"No!" she said, and Tori could almost see the disappointed look on her friend's face. "I really wanted some apple pancakes, but they made the kind with blueberries in them. I hate blueberries." Cat went off on a tirade, and Tori listened attentively, throwing in the occasional "yes" and "no." She had never been more grateful for her friend's tendency to get distracted.

After promising Cat that she would see her in twenty minutes, Tori hung up the phone. Finishing up in the bathroom, Tori quietly tip toed back into her room, silently looking for something to wear so as to not disturb the boy sleeping in her bed. She settled on her black jeans and a red blouse, pairing these with her combat boots. She managed to get her outfit on quickly enough, but just as she was lacing up her boots, Beck stirred. Tori froze as he sat up, that same confused look she was sure she wore this morning on his face. He turned to look at her, squinting.

"How…" he said, turning and surveying his surroundings, comprehension dawning on his face as he too remembered their evening. Then he turned to look at her.

"Were you planning on at least waking me up?"

"I have to go," Tori said, stuffing the rest of her laces into her boot and throwing her bag over her shoulder. "I have to meet Cat."

"I don't think she'll mind if you're late."

"I'm already late," Tori said, turning her back to him and stepping away. She might not have been able to run last night, but there was nothing stopping her now. She needed time to comprehend what was going on, and when he was there, her mind didn't work. "If you wanna sneak out, there's a service door on the second floor. The stairs lead to the back of the building near the parking lot. No one will see you."

"Tori-"

She turned to look at him, her blanket pooled around his waist, his hair slightly matted from sleep. Some part of her wanted to go back and sit beside him, talk to him, run her fingers through his hair. But instead, she just shot him an apologetic smile.

"I'll see you later," she said, turning and walking out into the living room, and then out the door before he could protest.

oooooo

Tori approached Sikowitz's door and knocked softly, her coffee and bagel balanced in her hand.

"Come in," Sikowitz called, a pleased smile coming over his face as he saw her peak her head in the doorway.

"Ah, Ms. Vega. Come in, come in. We were just talking about you."

"We…?" Tori said, trailing off as she stepped into her teacher's office, noticing Jade was sitting in one of the two empty chairs opposite her teacher's desk. She turned and shot Tori a forced smile.

"Hey, Tori. Nice to see you again." Tori's heart slammed against her ribcage, and she was sure that a cold sweat had broken out on her forehead. She opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out.

"You okay?" Jade asked, a confused look on her face. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Well, Ms. West, let's be fair. You are a sort of intimidating soul," Sikowitz said, indicating that Tori should sit as well. She took this opportunity to mentally calm down and compose herself. There was no way Jade knew anything that just happened. Tori knew that to be true. If she did, she was sure Jade wouldn't be wanting to speak to her in her teacher's office. Maybe in the parking lot after school, but definitely not here. Which led back to Tori's initial confusion. What was going on?

"Um," she started, swallowing hard as she felt Jade's stare burning into her from the side. "Cat said you wanted to see me."

"I did!" Sikowitz exclaimed, his smile growing even wider. "Ms. Vega, are you familiar with the show 'Witch Garden'?"

"Jade's show?" Tori asked, honestly not expecting this conversation at all.

"Ah, so you are familiar. Good, good. Well, I'll get right down to it. They are looking for a supporting role for the second half of their season, and Ms. West has been kind enough to suggest you! Her producer has seen some of your work, and he loves you. They'd like your answer by today!"

"Wait, what?" Tori asked, turning to look at Jade. "You want ME to work with YOU?"

"What's the matter, Vega?" Jade asked, a taunting smirk on her lips. "Is my show not good enough for you?"

"No," Tori said, frazzled and yet, trying to step cautiously. "I love that show-"

"Well, good," Jade said, rising from the chair. "Because we start filming next week. I heard that you don't miss Mondays. My producer said he'd be willing to work with you on that."

"Wait-"

"Awesome," Jade said, turning and walking out the door, blatantly ignoring her. "Sikowitz can tell you the rest. See you in class." She walked out the door, it slamming behind her with a loud thud. Tori turned quickly to face her teacher.

"I don't know if I should," Tori said, shooting her teacher a hopeless look. He shot her a compassionate smile, as if her understood why she was so nervous. He had no idea.

"Tori," he said, pulling out a stack of papers. "I understand why you might be nervous. I know that Jade isn't exactly the easiest person to get along with. But you don't have to worry. She's not the only one who's going to be working with you. It's not like she'll kill you." Tori resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She would not put that past Jade.

"Anyway," Sikowitz said, shuffling the papers forward so she could see them more clearly. "It's a guest role. Eight episodes in length. I've read the description of what they're looking for, and Ms. West was right. This role does suit you perfectly. It also comes with a generous salary and a very flexible schedule. They must really want you."

Tori took the papers cautiously in her hands, as if she were scared to be burned. She perused them as Sikowitz continued.

"It has a singing role as well, which I know is very important to you. I know your side jobs are plenty enough for you, but you are one of the best damn singers and actresses that has come through my classroom in all the years I've been teaching. I'm not telling you what to do Tori, but I certainly think it would be a shame if you gave up this role."

Tori shuffled through the papers a few more times. She couldn't help but agree with her teacher. _Witch Garden_ was a very popular show, and the script was extremely well written. A lot of her classmates were hard pressed to even find roles as extras in that show, due to its rising popularity. And here was a wonderful opportunity that had simply fallen on her lap.

"When do they need their answer by?" Tori asked, not looking up.

"Ah, I'm afraid they need it within the hour. I told them I'd be meeting with you and would get the answer to them as soon as possible."

"Why so soon?" she asked, shocked. Sikowitz simply shrugged.

"That's Hollywood, I suppose." Tori bit her lip as she thought about the offer in front of her. It felt like a trap, but honestly, there was no good reason to say no. It would even help keep her busy and keep her mind off of certain things. She lifted her head to look at her teacher.

"Tell them I'll do it."

oooooo

Hi! Sorry for the late update. I plan to update a week from now. I have a test coming up so I will be pouring all my energy into that. I can't guarantee a week, but that's what I'm shooting for. I've been doing a lot of thinking and have a lot of things that I think are awesome for the coming chapters. Please **REVIEW** and tell me what you thought!


	9. Chapter 9

"Good job, Tori!"

"Congratulations Tori!"

"That's awesome, Tori!"

Tori smiled nervously as she made her way to her acting class, thanking every person (whether she knew them or not) as warmly as she could. When she finally sat down beside Cat fifteen minutes later, she shot her red headed friend a death glare.

"I told you not to tell anybody!"

"I only told Robbie," Cat whined, sucking on a strawberry lollipop and shooting a desperate look at her boyfriend, who in turn shot Tori a nervous smile.

"Uh, yeah, she did."

"Loud enough for everyone around her in the cafeteria to hear," Andre teased, coming up the aisle and taking his seat as well.

"Wah!" Cat yelled, turning her whole body in her seat and ignoring her friends. However, two seconds later, she held out her hand behind her towards Tori. Tori, still slightly pissed, but honestly not being able to stay mad at her, reached out and squeezed Cat's hand in a gesture of peace offering.

"I don't know why you're embarrassed, Tori," Robbie said, scratching his head in confusion. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. You'll be great."

"It's not like people aren't gonna find out anyway," Cat said, once again turning around to face her friends and her boyfriend. "You can't exactly hide the fact that you're gonna be on TV. Especially if you're going to be on _Witch Garden_."

"We shouldn't hide it anyway," Robbie said, shooting his friend an encouraging smile. "It's gonna be awesome!"

"He's right, Tori," Andre said, reaching over and placing his arm around her shoulders in reassurance. "You deserve this, okay?"

"Thanks, guys," Tori said, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. Despite the hangover that was still looming over her head from her night of binge drinking, she shot them an encouraging smile. She really did appreciate her friends' compliments, but she couldn't get rid of the knots in her stomach. The thought of working so close to Jade made her extremely nervous. Especially considering everything that seemed to be happening with Beck lately.

Tori pulled her phone out of her purse slightly, the screen lighting up as she checked her inbox. He still hadn't texted her. After the way she left him this morning, she honestly couldn't blame him. She hoped in some corner of her mind that he wasn't mad, but Beck was only human. And being left in the middle of some girl's dorm room as she made a mad dash for the door like he had the plague couldn't exactly be considered something that could be easily swept under the rug. Still, she could hope.

She sent Trina a text message, figuring that she should tell her sister about the coveted role before she heard about it on some circuit somewhere. This was going to be another issue. Tori couldn't exactly hide the fact that she was going to be working a lot from Trina, considering they basically lived together. She hoped for her sister's support and knew she would get it. But not before she would suffer the onslaught of her jealousy and rage. Nothing Tori could do would change that, and that put another damper on her spirits.

"Hi, Tori," a familiar voice said from her side. Tori stiffened. She knew that voice.

"Hi, Jade," Cat said, oblivious to the tension that had just descended around them. Andre and Robbie kept silent. Tori slowly turned her head, her brown eyes meeting Jade's blue ones.

"Hi," Tori said, nodding towards her counterpart. Her head throbbed with this little effort, the hangover seeming to pulse harder at Jade's close proximity. Jade shot her a smirk, the wicked curve of her mouth only seeming to make her more attractive. She was dressed in a simple, bright red, skin-tight dress that came to her mid thigh. This was accompanied by her black tights and black boots, almost as black as her hair, which had blue streaks that only seemed to accentuate her features,

"I just sent a text to Gretchen and Lucy. They can't wait to meet you."

"Gretchen Porter and Lucy Rivera?" Cat shrieked, her eyes wide with excitement. "The girls who play Parker and Kayla on the show?" Jade shot her a deadpan expression before nodding her head and turning her attention back to Tori.

"Tell them I'm excited to meet them, too," Tori said, forcing a smile. If anyone else had been telling her she'd be working with the two actresses Jade had just mentioned, Tori would have been ecstatic. Lucy Rivera was a child actor who had played many roles in her career, while Gretchen Porter was new to the scene. Both of them played the other two main roles on _Witch Garden_ besides Jade herself, and now she'd be joining them. Anyone else would have been jumping up and down with excitement.

Jade pulled a box out of her purse, opening it to reveal about ten chocolate covered strawberries. She offered the box to Tori, her smirk turning into a sickly sweet smile that tightened the knot in Tori's stomach.

"Want some?" Jade asked, taking a strawberry and wrapping her lips around it, biting down with force. "They're from Pasquale's. Everyone on set got a box yesterday."

Andre let out a low whistle of admiration, earning him a questioning look from Tori.

"They're really, really good," he explained. "And really, really expensive."

"Go on, Tori. Take one," Jade said, holding the box up closer. Tori eyed the fruit, the berries bright and enticing under the dark chocolate. She felt like Snow White, reaching for the poisonous red fruit while the wicked queen smiled down upon her. Tori forced the brightest smile she could muster.

"I had a big breakfast," she told Jade, folding her hands tighter on her lap. "I'll pass. But thanks, though." Jade eyed her over the box, her smile never wavering.

"You'll regret it," she said, snapping the lid on the box closed and walking back to her seat. Her tone was teasing, but the undercurrent wasn't. She sat down and began texting on her phone, once again opening the box and eating the berries slowly, every now and then shooting Tori a glance.

"You could have given it to me if you didn't want it," Cat whined, stretching out her arms over Tori's desk like her animal namesake.

"No, I would have taken it from you, Cat," Andre said, shaking his head incredulously. "I can't believe you passed that up, Tori. You love strawberries. You love chocolate. And that was the best combination of the two that money could buy. What stopped you?"

"I don't feel good," Tori told him, pressing her hands to her forehead, rubbing small circles into her temples.

"I told you, you should have told me that you were sick," Cat said, causing Andre to turn his full attention to his best friend.

"You're sick?" Andre asked, placing a cool hand on her forehead. It was a soothing touch, so much different than the touches of the previous night. There was no fire, which was exactly what she needed at the moment.

"I'm fine now that I put some food and some coffee in my stomach," Tori said, shooting Andre a reassuring smile. Instead of receiving back a similar gesture, however, Andre shot her an inquisitive look.

"I thought you only drank coffee when you were hungover?" he asked. It was spoken like a statement of fact that Tori knew she couldn't deny. As she opened her mouth to respond, though, Sikowitz appeared in the doorframe of their classroom, clapping his hands loudly to bring everyone to attention.

"Everyone get into groups of four for an acting exercise," he said, making his way around the classroom and handing out papers. Upon stopping in front of Tori's seat, he smiled widely.

"And everyone please congratulate Ms. Vega on her new role on _Witch Garden_ !" Her classmates started to clap, an enthusiastic Sikowitz in the lead. She noticed Rider trying to catch her eye with a smile. She immediately turned away, only to be met by Jade's snide smirk. In an attempt to avoid everyone else, Tori put her head down in a lame attempt at hiding. This was squashed by Andre and Cat forcing her to look up again, their smiles of encouragement wide and endearing. The only good thing coming out of this was that the sudden onslaught of attention had caused the subject of her coffee drinking habit, and all suspicion behind it, to drop.

"Ms. Vega, I look forward to seeing you and Ms. West work together on the show," Sikowitz said. "Now, if everyone would just-"

The door slammed loudly in the front of the room, causing everyone's eyes to change directions. Beck stood there, shifting his backpack on his shoulder.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, slowly walking over to take his seat beside Jade.

"Better late than never, Mr. Oliver," Sikowitz said, shooting him a smile as he turned his attention back to the class. "Okay everyone, read the directions on the worksheet I've provided." He went on to describe more about the exercise, but Tori tuned her teacher out at this point. She was too busy observing the boy across the room. He looked just as good as ever, but there was something different. The smile on his face looked a little too tight, a little too forced. He had bags under his eyes, though she didn't notice them unless he shifted slightly in the light. She couldn't hear what Jade was saying to him, but she saw her raise an eyebrow and point to his shirt. Tori glanced down and saw it was the same shirt that she had washed with dish soap the previous night, now clean and dry but very wrinkled.

He looked up and she caught his eye, suddenly feeling very exposed under the intensity of his stare. Offering up a smile, she hoped that she could somehow silently convey how sorry she was for her running away that morning. She just wanted him to understand, somehow, that she still was no better at knowing what exactly was going on, let alone what to do about it. Tori felt like he had to know this, there was no way he couldn't feel what was happening between them. It was like a constant treading of water, the fear of drowning making her fight harder not to succumb to the feelings that reared their heads whenever he was around.

He cocked his head back for a second, observing her as if she were behind glass. He shot her back a look that said it all. Yes, he understood that what was going on between them was crazy. It was like they were constantly circling each other for this time frame that they had known each other, last night finally breaking a barrier when he kissed her. And even though they both knew this brought them a little bit closer, he still felt so far from her. So, yes, he understood her fears, her concerns, and everything else that he saw in her eyes.

But that didn't change the fact that he was still mad at her.

ooooooooooooo

Jade had taken him to the visual arts side of campus, dragging him into an empty pottery studio and closing the door behind her. Beck observed her as she shrugged her hoodie off her shoulders, noticing the curves of her figure bouncing slightly underneath the tight confines of her dress. She was beautiful, and he couldn't help but be attracted to her, even when she turned to address him with a look of clear annoyance on her face.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, causing her cleavage to rise slightly.

"I haven't been avoiding you," he said, bringing his hand up to shield his eyes. The light filtering from the windows in the top of the studio were making his headache worse. He wasn't sure if he was suffering from a hangover or in the final stages of drunk. Drunk off the alcohol and drunk off the girl he spent the night sleeping next to. He was angry, and that was a surprise to him. He rarely got angry, and Beck felt an odd sort of pride in his cool demeanor. He could always keep a level head. Tori, somehow, was warping this. His annoyance at this fact, combined with the fact that he had a headache and hadn't had anything to eat or drink besides vodka and stale cookies for a good twelve hours was only making things worse.

"Bullshit," Jade said, her voice taking on a sharp edge. "I must have called you ten times yesterday." Beck let a little scoff escape his throat, not personally caring at this point if she heard him or not.

"You know, I think you should set a five call limit for yourself," he told her, not even having to look at her to know that she was surprised at his retort. He rarely ever fought back unless repeatedly provoked, and she was just getting started. But he just wasn't in the mood.

"What the hell were you doing that you couldn't even text me?" Jade asked, stomping her foot. The sound of her boot on the hardwood floor echoed in the open space of the studio, causing Beck to wince at the sound.

"You don't have to be so loud, you know. I have a headache."

"Drinking a shit ton of alcohol on a regular basis will do that to you," Jade said angrily. "Now answer my question!"

"I was busy," he said lowly, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath.

"Busy doing what, Beck?" Jade demanded.

"School work. Prep work for the movie. Catching up on sleep. You know, I don't ask what you're doing every minute of every day," he said to her, the annoyance in his voice becoming apparent. It was enough to outweigh the guilt he would have otherwise felt for not telling the complete truth.

"Oh for God's sake, would you at least look at me when you talk to me?" Jade said, coming forward and pulling his hand away from his eyes. They were so close, the heat from her body and her own anger radiating off of her. Instead of returning her anger, though, he felt himself becoming relaxed. It was a comforting feeling, the familiarity of this situation. He had been in this place with Jade so many times before, and knew where it always led. And for once, he was happy to be stuck in this cycle with her. It was a relief from the scattered mess he felt his mind had become. At least for right now, he didn't wanna think about anything, or anyone, anymore.

Beck pushed Jade against the table as he kissed her, wrapping her in his arms tightly. He could feel her body go rigid in surprise, but only for a second before he felt her respond. Her kiss was rabid, her bite a little too hard, her tugs on his hair a little too rough. But that was just Jade, how she always had been. He buried his head in her neck, leaving bites and not caring that some of them would bruise. _That's why they have make up departments on set_, he thought.

Beck heard the gasps escape her throat and in response, moved his mouth back to hers, once again silencing her. It was an encounter driven by raw instinct and no thought, and yet he knew enough to know that he wanted no part of this to be vocal. He felt her hands pull on his belt and helped her quickly. Once one part of the clothing barrier was gone, he lifted her onto the table, pulling down her tights in an almost violent way. They ripped in his hands, but he didn't care as he pushed away the shredded remains. Pushing her dress slightly up her hips, he pushed into her without warning.

Jade grasped his shoulders, holding him close but at the same time trying to slow down his advance. It didn't work, and Beck kissed her again, closing his eyes so tightly. She tasted like chocolate and strawberries, but that was all he could mentally register. He didn't want to think, he just wanted to do. His mind was tired, his body was exhausted, and the frustration he felt was palpable to the air, currently being transformed into sexual consummation. She broke their kiss and returned his gesture, biting his throat so hard in passion that he was surprised he didn't feel blood trickling down his neck.

He went faster, a masochistic pride rising as he felt Jade's knees quiver on either sides of his hips with the effort to stay upright. He moved his head to her neck again, biting a little harder. Jade barely let her sound out, fully aware that they were in the middle of a classroom with an unlocked door. She was lost in the shockwaves and he was lost in his own head. He felt the thoughts of the brown-eyed girl grasping at the corners of his mind, but he pushed her away and just continued to roughly move inside of the blue-eyed girl currently in front of him. He felt Jade's walls tighten around him as they both finished, him leaning his head on her shoulder as he gasped in exhaustion, trying to catch his breath.

She leaned back on her elbows as he disconnected their bodies, discarding her tights altogether as she pulled her panties back over her hips. Beck turned away from her as he redressed as well, touching his neck gingerly and knowing she had left a hickey. He felt Jade hug him from behind, her nose pressed into his back as she breathed in.

"You smell like orange soap," she told him softly, her voice taking on a kinder tone. She sounded dazed, almost as if she were waking up from a dream. She sounded like a girl in love.

"Yeah?" he asked, not turning to face her.

"Pretty weird, considering you wore this yesterday, too," she said, her voice not accusing for once. Just curious. He had told her he had grabbed the first thing he could find that morning because he was late for school. She believed him. Her phone rang, breaking the moment as she broke away to answer it.

"Hello?" she answered, walking away to continue her conversation. Beck took the opportunity to take one of the discarded seats and rested his head on the table. His head still ached of headache, only now he was also light headed from the sexual encounter. Listening to the lull of Jade's conversations in the background, he heard the telltale signs that she was talking to her producer.

"Yeah, mhm, sure, yeah, I got it, bye." She placed a hand on his shoulder soothingly.

"I have to go," she told him softly. "But are we still on for tomorrow?"

Beck was grateful she couldn't see his face or the wince that now graced his features once he realized he had forgotten that they had made plans.

"Yeah, sounds good," he told her. She placed her face beside his in a rare display of affection, kissing his cheek gently.

"I love you," she told him, keeping her head beside his. This was a side of Jade the world never saw, a layer peeled back to reveal the kindness she was capable of. Beck knew this, and was disappointed in himself for not appreciating the rarity of the moment. His mind was somewhere else, and focused on someone else, entirely.

"I love you, too," he told her, hoping that she couldn't hear the distance in his voice.

oooooooooooooo

Tori bought another cup of coffee before she headed to the library, weaving through the aisles with no particular destination in mind. In the aftermath of her newest job revelation, Rider's pursuit of being "just friends" with her only escalated. He had tried to corner her after class, which Andre had put an immediate stop to. He had tried to catch her outside of the bathroom, where Cat had saved her. He had tried again before her next class, after he noticed Cat wasn't with her anymore. Robbie had unwittingly pulled her into one of his AV classes with him until he passed by. But now, Andre had gone to his part time job at a music store, Robbie had gone to his job at the puppet theater, and Cat had gone home to take a nap. She was alone.

Without her friends' defenses, Tori had opted to skip lunch in place of her coffee (her stomach still wasn't feeling right) and hide out until her last class, knowing one of the last places her ex would ever set foot in was the library. As she skimmed the bookshelves for some books of song lyrics to pass the time, she found her thoughts wandering back to Beck. He was mad at her. She knew that he would be, so it wasn't exactly a surprise. But she couldn't shake the discomfort that came with the realization. Tori wasn't one to deny when she was wrong, and she couldn't put off the urge to talk to him any longer. She took her phone out, getting ready to send him a text message when she bumped into somebody, a small amount of her coffee rushing from the cup's lid and spilling onto their shirt. She looked up immediately to say sorry, but the apology caught in her throat when she looked into Beck's eyes.

"First pizza, now coffee," he said to her, a mocking grin on his face that wasn't quite reaching his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Tori said, pulling a napkin out of her purse and swiping at the small wet spot.

"You know, if this shirt wasn't a dark color, you'd probably be making this worse," he told her, the joke falling a little flat at his lack of enthusiasm.

"I'm sorry," Tori whispered, pulling her hand back and cautiously looking up. He looked tired and a bit disheveled, but she was relieved to find that his eyes held no malice.

"Tori, it's really not a big deal. It's just a shirt."

"No, not the shirt. I'm sorry about this morning. I'm sorry about last night. I'm just sorry. I really, really am," she told him, her words rushing together and her voice rising slightly in panic. Beck winced, pressing two of his fingers gently to her lips.

"I thought people were supposed to be quiet in libraries," he whispered, pulling back his hand. She placed her own fingers over where his had just been, her mouth tingling.

"Is your hangover that bad?" she asked him sympathetically.

"Just a bit," he said, turning and leaning against the bookshelf. "I'm also starving and caffeine deprived at the moment."

"I'm sorry I don't have any food. Do you want my coffee?" she asked him, holding out her cup. He eyed it warily.

"I'm really picky when it comes to coffee," he told her earnestly. She shrugged, placing it on the shelf by his head.

"Well… just take it anyway," she said softly. They stood in silence, the awkward tension between them growing again. Tori attempted conversation, not wanting it to grow any more.

"Look, I really am-"

"Please don't say you're sorry again, Tori," he said to her, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. "I don't really want my headache to get any worse."

"But-"

"I know you're sorry," he said to her, tone a little more sharp. "And I'll get over it. It's just gonna take me a little longer than a couple of hours." He was a little too far away for her liking, but when she took a step closer, he side-stepped one step farther. The small gesture was deserved, but it hurt her nonetheless. As if sensing her pain, he turned his head slowly and opened his eyes to look at her. She looked just as tired as he did.

"Are you really sorry about last night?" he asked her. Tori thought about the previous evening, the pleasant conversation, the bad food, and the night ending with him sleeping beside her. He had tried to pull her close and she wouldn't let him, and it wasn't just solely because he wasn't hers to hold. Beck was the farthest from Rider that could exist, and yet she kept them almost equidistant. She knew the reasons for avoiding Rider, but the reason her legs took off in opposite directions whenever she saw Beck still wasn't clear to her. She, like him, didn't like not knowing what was going on. Especially when it came to her own feelings.

"Yes," she said, swallowing hard as her voice cracked. He bridged their distance quickly at her response, taking two wide steps and standing directly in front of her.

"I don't believe you," he said, voice low and dangerous. She saw a flash of anger in his eyes, and it scared her a little bit.

"I should go," she said quickly, turning her body and attempting to move away. His arm shot out in front of her face, hand slamming into the bookshelf and blocking her path. He didn't say anything, and slowly, she turned her body to face his. She almost winced at his expression. She'd never seen him mad before.

"Stop running," he told her, placing his other arm on the other side of her head, boxing her in from both sides. "Just stop running and answer my question. Are you really sorry about last night?"

"Beck-" she started, but he cut her off.

"Because I'm not. I had a good time and enjoyed a beautiful girl's company. And I'm pretty sure she enjoyed mine too, considering the fact that SHE was the one who invited ME to sleepover. And I don't think she would have done that if she didn't enjoy my company as well? What do you think?" Tori turned her head to the side, not wanting to look him in the eye.

"I think that it doesn't even matter whether I enjoyed your company or not."

"Why does it not matter?"

"Because what are we supposed to do now?" Tori shot back, turning her head to face him with a newly lit fire of frustration in her own eyes. "You have a girlfriend, Beck. I feel like you and me, we just keep fucking up. We don't even know what the fuck we're doing. We keep ending up together late at night, doing God knows what, and that's not good for anyone. It's not good for you. It's not good for me. I mean, what the hell is gonna happen next?"

Beck kissed her, silencing her questions. Tori's eyes widened in surprise as she tried to push him away, but he wouldn't let her. He was relentless, his hands cupping either side of her face. This kiss was nothing like the gentle one he had placed on her lips the night before. It was fueled by need, and Tori could feel herself succumbing under his advances.

He bit her lip, causing her to yelp in surprise before he silenced her with his mouth again. This time she responded, her mouth trying to keep up with his ferocity. She felt his finger slowly trace down her neck, down her collarbone, between her breasts, and down her stomach before finally sweeping sideways to her hip. He brought his arm around her back and pulled her in closer, crushing their hips together.

Tori vaguely felt something pressing against her leg, but her head was swimming as she got lost in him. He smelled like the Palmolive she had used to wash his shirt, and something else she couldn't quite place. He stuck his tongue in her mouth, consuming her and making her go under. Cautiously, she placed her hands on his shoulders, bringing them up to brush the side of his neck in an attempt to pull him even closer.

Abruptly, Beck pulled away, causing Tori's eyes to open in surprise as their disconnection instantly grounded her. Confused, she reached out to him, but stopped short when she saw his neck. His hand brushed a giant hickey, almost a bruise. She came to the realization that she must have hurt him when her fingers brushed it. An even bigger realization dawned on her when she realized he hadn't had it last night or this morning when she saw him in class.

Tori turned her head to look around, grateful that no one was around to see what had just transpired between the two. She adjusted herself, biting her lip slightly as she felt her panties sticking to her. They were soaked. As she made to say something to him, she thought better of it, quickly licking her lips and swallowing her question. But as she did this, she caught the aftertaste he had left in her mouth; chocolate and strawberries. Just like the ones Jade was eating this morning. The clues clicked in her head so abruptly that she felt a sharp pain grace her temple at the realization of it all.

"Ow," she said, placing her hand to her forehead. Beck turned to her, concerned.

"Are you okay?" he asked, reaching out. But she slapped his hand away and just looked at him. He was with Jade. He had spent the night with her, kissed her, and, somewhere in the interim of the day, had found the time to fuck another girl. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours.

She shouldn't have been upset. She knew this. Jade was his girlfriend, and she, Tori, was nowhere close, not at all. They hadn't even known each other that long, and the tears prickling at her eyes, trying to get out, were an insult. She was stronger than this. She had spent so long with Rider and not felt a surge of emotion like this. What was wrong with her?

"How's Jade?" Tori asked shakily, blinking back tears. Beck blinked, the realization dawning on him that she had some idea of what he had been doing in her absence. He looked at her face, focusing in on her mouth, and then looked at the ground.

"She's good," he answered.

"I bet," Tori snapped icily, turning away and heading towards the door. He picked her coffee cup up from the shelf and followed her.

"Tori, wait."

"I'm late for class."

"Would you let me explain?"

"You don't have to explain anything to me. What you do with your girlfriend is none of my business."

"Come on!"

"I don't want to talk to you right now," Tori said, walking through the library doors and coming face to face with her ex, who was passing by on his way to class.

"Tori," Rider said, shooting her a smile. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"I bet," Tori said, rolling her eyes. A second later, Beck had burst out the door behind her. He didn't say anything, immediately assessing the situation. He looked from Tori, to Rider, and then back to Tori again. Rider, having no idea what was going on, shot Beck a bright smile as well.

"Hey man, what's up?"

"Not much," Beck said, his eyes not leaving Tori's. "Just... Tori forgot her coffee."

He held out the cup to her, but she didn't take it.

"I told you, you can have it."

"I told you I'm picky about coffee."

"I'll buy you a new cup, babe," Rider said, taking her hand. "You're late for class anyway." Tori shook his hand away, annoyed.

"I'm not your 'babe'," she said, shooting him an exasperated glare. "I told you this."

"Well, coffee on me anyway?" Rider asked. She was almost sickened by the desperation in his voice. As if sensing she was going to say no, Rider shot back another argument.

"It's on the way to class anyway."

Tori looked between the two boys. She didn't want to be around either of them now, but they had one very big difference. One was an annoyance, harmless really. Predictable. The other one was… well, none of those things. She needed to get away.

Beck held out her cup to her, conveying a very obvious message as he did. _Stay_.

"Okay, one cup. And I want tea," Tori said, turning away from Beck and, by default, denying him of his request.

"Awesome," Rider said, grinning as they started to walk away. He turned to look at Beck one last time before they turned the corner.

"She makes the best coffee, dude. You should definitely at least try a sip." And they were gone.

Beck stood stunned as they turned the corner, not quite believing what he had just seen. He and Tori had recently began learning a lot about each other, and while he didn't claim to know her best, he knew enough to know that she absolutely despised Rider. Which meant that she had despised him more in that moment to pick her ex-boyfriend's company over his. The thought was enough to seep into his skin, making him feel as though a rabid animal was trying to claw out of his stomach and chase the other boy down.

Sighing, Beck took a sip of the cup in his hand. Incredulously, he pulled it back and stared at it. It was a little cold, but it was delicious. It almost wasn't a surprise that he liked the way she made coffee, he thought. She was like magic, the way she made him when she was around him. Even her coffee tasted good.

_Not as good as her…_

Taking out his phone, Beck dialed a number. He knew he couldn't ask for advice, couldn't talk about the situation outright considering the circumstances, but still. He needed to talk to someone.

"Hey man," Beck said as the recipient picked up the phone. "Got time to talk?" As the caller on the other end told him, yes, Beck let out a long breath that he didn't know he was holding.

"Cool, see you in 20 minutes."

oooooooooooooo

Hi everyone! I'm sorry this is late. I don't know if this is obvious but I had a bit of writer's block:/. I have a lot of good ideas but unfortunately they are conflicting with my school schedule. I have a test Monday and a final next Monday. I'll try and get something out in that time frame, but I make no promises. As always, **PLEASE REVIEW**. Thanks:0)


	10. Chapter 10

Tori swished her chai tea around in her mouth, violently swirling until the muscles in her cheeks started to hurt. Swallowing, she kicked a pebble on the ground in agitation. It was like no matter what she did, she couldn't get rid of the taste of strawberries. The taste of Jade…

She took another sip and swirled again, not giving up on her vendetta to get rid of not only the taste of the fruit, but also the taste of the boy she had kissed. Unfortunately, his face was currently dominating her mind.

After Rider had led her away, she had engaged him with one-word answers to his small talk. When he had handed her the tea and turned to get his coffee, she made a run for it, throwing a lame excuse about forgetting a book over her shoulder. Instead of breaking for class, she decided to leave the building altogether, darting out the nearest emergency exit (the alarms never went off anyway). Now, walking down the street with no particular place to go, Tori finally allowed herself to breathe. Whether she liked it or not, she knew she had to deal with what had gone on that day. There was no storing it in the back of her mind for later; she knew that her mental storage had finally reached its capacity.

She was mad at Beck, but she couldn't decide if she was more upset with him or at herself. Holding her hand to her head, she shook it violently, as if hoping the thoughts would fly out of her ear and never come back. She could still feel the pressure of his hips as they pressed against her own. She felt her cheeks flush as she thought back to the imminent erection stirring in his jeans, surprised that she had brought that reaction out in him so quickly.

_No_, she corrected herself. It wasn't her. It was Jade. He was still high off of his encounter with Jade. He had to be.

She had been repeating this same statement to herself for the past ten minutes, every step on the sidewalk a hopeful wish that it would take her somewhere far away. But her feet weren't fast enough to keep up with her thoughts as they ran a mile a minute, taking her to places she didn't want to go.

How long had it been? Was he just with his girlfriend before he had found her in the library? Or had he waited? When was their class, again? He'd have had to have been with her somewhere in between class and the library, right? Is it possible she had missed the hickey and that it wasn't new? Why did he kiss her again? Was he still drunk? What in God's name was going on?

Tori sipped her tea, trying and failing to put all the questions in order of their relevance. She wanted to go home and change, scrub herself clean and forget the hands that touched her. One minute she would think about how much she never wanted to see him again, the next she had to admit to herself that her mind wandered often to thoughts of doing more than kissing him. She wondered if his hands had left imprints on her cheeks, the way he gripped her so desperately. He had run after her, wanting to explain. But there was nothing to say, not really.

So he had fucked his girlfriend. So what? That was HIS girlfriend. The girlfriend he had been with for two years. The past couple days, no the past couple weeks, did not mean ANYTHING in comparison. She had no right to be jealous or mad. She had no right to be anything. They were partners on a project. Nothing more. She'd probably never see him again after this school year was over. She planned on keeping it that way.

Tori sighed, bringing her cup to her lips, only to discover it was empty. Crushing it in her hand, she threw it in a nearby trashcan, slightly surprised when she actually made the shot. Only then did she allow herself to observe her surroundings, and she found that she had walked a lot farther than she thought she did. Realizing she had to go back to get her car, Tori breathed out a long sigh of frustration. As she turned to begin her trek back to campus, one hopeful thought glimmered in the murky mess that was her mind.

_At least the day's half way over._

oooooooooooooooo

_Tunez_ was a little hole in the wall with some of the best vinyl selections around. Beck never saw anyone come into the shop, ever. He often wondered how the shop owners managed to pay their employees, let alone keep the business open. But right now, he had never been more grateful for the dead atmosphere in his life. Stepping through the door, he saw a lone figure sitting behind the counter, strumming a guitar hesitantly and singing a song to himself. Andre.

"What's up man?" Andre asked, not even looking up from the instrument. Beck raised an eyebrow.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Who else would it be?" Andre asked, rising and placing the guitar gently against the wall and pulling out a small stool for his friend to sit on. Beck sat, leaning back as Andre made his way to the small room in the back marked _Employees Only_.

"You hungry?" his friend called from behind the door.

"Starving," Beck called back, and as if on cue, his stomach rumbled. He heard Andre chuckling before he emerged, carrying two sodas in one hand and the over-sized lunch box his grandmother was known for using in the other. Andre handed Beck a sandwich, which he accepted gratefully, tearing into it as if afraid someone would take it from him.

"Damn," Andre said, letting out a low whistle of disbelief as he laid the giant bag between them and took out a sandwich for himself. "When was the last time you ate?"

Beck thought for a moment, taking a swig of his soda before starting in on his sandwich again.

"Lunch… yesterday." Andre let out an incredulous laugh, pulling out some chips from the bottomless lunch bag for them to share. Casting a glance at his friend, Andre's playful smile dropped slightly.

"You serious?" he asked as Beck grabbed the bag of chips from him, pulling out a handful and devouring that quickly.

"Yeah… I have never been more grateful for your grandmother and her tendency to over pack in my life." A warm smile graced Andre's lips as he handed his friend another sandwich.

"Yeah, she is pretty great. Fucking insane, but great." Beck just shook his head.

"ALL women are fucking insane."

"Not ALL of them."

"Some of them," Beck rephrased, a slight pout coming to his mouth.

"Is that what brings you to my office, Mr. Oliver?" Andre teased, nudging his friend in the ribs. "Girl problems?"

Beck closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall, allowing his stomach to settle as he contemplated what to say to his best friend. What better way to start a lie (sort of) than with the truth?

"I guess you could say that," Beck said, exhaling slowly as he felt the hunger pains in his stomach start to subside.

"Well, judging from the giant hickey on your neck, your problems can't be that bad," Andre said. "At least you're getting laid."

"Getting laid has nothing to do with it," Beck said, trying to hide his annoyance. He didn't even know where to start with what he wanted to say. Andre, sensing his friend really did want to have a serious talk, let up on his teasing.

"You okay man?" he asked, concern evident in his voice. "You're never stressed out like this."

"I didn't say I was stressed out."

"You didn't have to, it's written all over your face," Andre said, picking up his guitar again. "What did Jade do?"

Beck put his head in his hands, ignoring Andre's question and raking his fingers through his hair hastily as he let out a frustrated groan.

"I just don't understand sometimes, I guess," Beck said, peeking through his fingers and focusing on a spot on the old carpeted floor. "I just don't understand why people act the way they do."

"What do you mean?" Andre asked, curiosity in his voice.

"One minute you think you mean something to someone, the next they shut you out. Is it so wrong to want to talk to someone and get to know them?" Andre looked thoughtful as he strummed his guitar.

"How much do you think you know them already?"

"Not as much as I want to," Beck admitted, turning to face his friend. "And that scares the shit out of me." Andre gave him a small smile, patting him on the back reassuringly. Beck continued on his tirade.

"It's just exhausting."

"What is?"

"Thinking about someone all the time."

Andre was quiet for a moment, playing a riff from a song as he thought about what Beck was saying.

"I know what you mean, man," he said, his eyes taking on a distant look of their own. "But at least Jade's yours already. I mean, she can get way out of hand sometimes, but she loves you. You have nothing to worry about." Beck turned toward his friend in confusion.

"What?"

"I just mean, I think you're stressing out for nothing. All couples go through rough patches. At least you have the girl of your dreams. The hard part's over." Beck observed his friend as he played the guitar, each finger hesitant as it played a sad, but beautiful song. He wished he could tell Andre that he wasn't thinking about Jade at all, but he knew that wouldn't go over well. Especially because of a suspicion that Beck had, one that he finally felt he had the courage to ask his friend.

"You like Tori, don't you?"

Andre stopped strumming, but only for a second, and then continued on. He refused to meet Beck's eye.

"Of course, she's one of my best friends."

"You're a terrible liar," Beck told his friend, taking a sip from his drink. "Good thing you didn't double major in acting."

"Asshole," Andre said affectionately. Beck repeated his question.

"So, do you like her?"

Andre continued to play the guitar, the tune becoming more and more soulful as he went. Something clicked in Beck's mind at that moment.

"Did you write that?" Beck asked, and finally, Andre stopped strumming.

"It's a work in progress," he said, turning the guitar on its side and tuning it.

"It's really good… did you write it for her?"

Andre smiled, putting the guitar down as he reached inside the lunch bag for another snack.

"Yeah, but I'll never play it for her. I feel stupid, but I guess I just can't help it. She does things to me, man. You have no idea."

Beck observed his best friend at that moment, the look in his eyes and the wistful smile on his lips. Somehow, he knew that was the look mirrored on his own face. He wished he could tell Andre that he had an idea; in fact, he was damn sure he knew the affect that he was talking about. Tori was like a toxic gas, the way she got into your head and made you dizzy. Breathing her in was like asking to be addicted. She was almost incapacitating, and the worst part about her charm was that she had no idea what she was capable of.

_I mean, look at what she's doing to both of us_, Beck thought. He was grateful that Andre wasn't looking him in the eye, because if he was, Beck's secret might have been revealed. Instead, he bent his head down to eat more food and continued his questioning.

"Why don't you ask her out?" Beck asked, surprised at himself as he felt a surge of an odd, uncomfortable feeling fly up his stomach when the question left his lips.

"Tori would never look at me like that," Andre said, shaking his head and chuckling slightly. "And that's okay with me, honestly. Better friends than nothing, right?"

Beck didn't answer, thinking over the latter question. Andre picked up the guitar again, resting it on his lap.

"As long as she's happy, I'm happy," Andre said, looking thoughtful. Then, as an afterthought, added, "And as long as she doesn't get back together with Rider, either."

"What happened between them anyway?" Beck asked, trying his best to sound casual. Honestly, he really wanted to know himself. He thought back to earlier in the afternoon, his stomach knotting as he remembered the way Tori had walked away with her ex. All to get away from him. This knowledge was like a punch to the stomach.

"I have no idea, man," Andre said, pulling his phone from his pocket as it buzzed. "She never told me. She never told Cat or Robbie, either."

"I hope nothing bad happened," Beck said, more to himself then to his friend. Andre shook his head almost violently.

"I used to think about that a lot," he admitted, his fingers working quickly on a reply text message. "But I don't anymore. She told me that nothing bad happened, so I believe her. Plus, she's good at protecting herself. I told you man, she's special."

Beck was almost angry at Andre's statement. He knew Tori was special. Some part of him wanted to climb the roof of the old music store and shout it. But, knowing that would reveal the weird chain of events that had been going on between him and her, Beck just shut his mouth and nodded. Knowing that he wouldn't get the answers he was looking for with Andre, Beck changed the subject.

"Who are you texting?"

"Cat," Andre said, a smile coming to his face. "She wants to know whether she should make margaritas or mojitos for game night tomorrow."

"What are you guys playing?" Beck asked.

"Probably poker," Andre said, texting his friend again. "I'm just gonna tell her to make both." Suddenly, Andre looked up, a beaming smile on his face.

"You should come."

"What?" Beck asked, taken aback by the sudden invitation.

"You should come to game night. Get your mind off Jade for a while. We're having it at my house this week because my grandma's going away for the weekend with her bingo club. Come over, man."

"I'm not really up for socializing," Beck said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Dude, it's just gonna be me, Cat, Robbie, and Tori. It's not a big deal."

_If you only knew,_Beck thought.

"I don't wanna party crash."

"I'm inviting you to my house," Andre said, giving him a flat look. "That's not party crashing."

Beck opened his mouth to protest, but Andre cut him off.

"Dude, I'm not letting you disappear from my life again. I know you're not working. Just come over. What's the harm?"

Beck thought about Tori, how soft her mouth was and the feeling he got when she was close to him. She turned his world upside down and rendered his thought process useless. There was so much harm that could have been done. But he didn't tell Andre any of that. Conceding defeat, Beck shot his friend a small smile.

"What time should I be there?"

oooooooooooo

Trina was painting her toenails. Tori leaned against the hallway's doorframe, observing her sister from behind as she sat on the couch. She was dressed casually for once, or as casual as she could be considering Trina was…well, Trina. Her jeans were still tight and fitting, but Tori recognized the pair as one that her sister hadn't worn out of the house in almost a year. The shirt she wore very clearly displayed an Armani emblem, but at the same time it was loose fitting and one that looked a little worn. Not by much, but for the standards Trina followed, it was too much.

Trina cocked her head to the side, holding her foot out in front of her for observation. Her hair, usually wild and lose around her shoulders, was in a messy ponytail. Tori stared down at her own outfit, comparing. She was wearing a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt she had cut off around the collar, allowing it to fall loosely around her shoulders. Her hair was still damp from the shower she had taken the minute she got home, and she had replaced her contacts with her glasses. She was also gripping a cup of tea, blowing on the hot liquid slowly. They were as different as night and day.

"If you're gonna keep watching me, you might as well come sit next to me," Trina said, putting her foot back down and proceeding to paint another nail. "My side view is way better."

Smirking at her sister's sarcastic remark, Tori padded over to her, sitting slowly as she took a sip of her tea. Trina's nose wrinkled at the smell.

"Yuck," she said, fanning her hand out in front of Tori's cup. "I hate when you drink chai. It stinks."

"I'm surprised you can smell anything over that damn nail polish," Tori said, inhaling deeply and catching only the scent of polish and polish remover. Trina shrugged her off, shaking a bottle of pearly pink nail polish before starting again.

"You want me to do yours too?" her sister asked, not looking up. She hadn't looked at her once since she had gotten home. Tori was in the shower when she first heard her sister come through the door. She was preparing for Trina's first jealous comment regarding her new acting job. This was the way it always went, followed by some type of crying, followed by a heart-to-heart where her big sister assured her that she really was happy for her, despite acting the complete opposite. But that didn't happen this time.

Instead, Trina had peaked her head in the bathroom to let her sister know that she had brought home some food if she was hungry. When Tori had finally emerged from the shower an hour later, she saw her sister sitting on the couch peacefully, watching TV. After getting dressed, Tori stepped out to find Trina was giving herself a pedicure. And now they were both here, sitting beside each other as if nothing was wrong.

"Congratulations on the part," Trina said, grabbing her sister's foot gently and starting to paint a nail. "If you're gonna be on a famous show like that, you might want to start taking better care of your nails." Tori just stared at her sister. Finally, Trina looked up, and Tori finally understood why she hadn't met her eyes. They were rimmed in red.

"Trina-" Tori said, but her sister held up her hand, silencing her.

"I'm fine," she said, wiping her eye on her sleeve as she continued to paint Tori's toenail. "I would be lying if I said you didn't deserve it."

"I won't take it if you don't want me to-"

"Shut up," Trina said, tugging at her sister's foot a little too harshly. "Don't say that. That's not going to make me feel any better. You can't give up amazing opportunities just to please other people. I'll go my way and you go yours. I'm going to meet you at the top. I promise you that. And then you better watch your back."

She said the last statement with a tight smile, but Tori knew enough about her sister to know she was being sincere, even if it was in the form of a slight threat. She returned a small smile of her own.

"Okay. I'll be waiting."

This caused Trina's face to relax a bit, a more genuine smirk coming to her face as she continued to paint her sister's nails. Tori sipped her tea and relaxed a bit, settling against the cushions of the couch.

"Why were you in the shower so long?" Trina asked, completing one foot and starting the other. Tori leaned her head back, debating whether to explain or not. One thing good and always constant about her sister was that she was a completely separate entity from the rest of her life. She didn't have to worry about Trina slipping up and saying something to one of her friends, considering that she was so wrapped up in her own life she usually forgot what they were talking about by the next morning. But still, Tori couldn't bring herself to tell the whole truth. She didn't even know what the whole truth was.

"Boys are stupid," Tori said, remembering the taste, which had finally gone away with some mouthwash. The lingering feelings of Beck's hands, however, were not so easy to forget. She felt a warmth start in her chest, only to become a fluttering feeling in her stomach before stopping between her legs. She cursed herself internally, half tempted to jump back in the shower and not come out until she had scrubbed away all memories. Trina looked up, shooting her sister a questioning look.

"Where did that come from?" she asked, confused.

"They just are," Tori said, slapping her free hand against the couch in annoyance. "I don't understand them. They think they can just do what they want, whenever they want. They don't even think about what they're doing or who it's going to affect. They say one thing and do another. It makes me sick."

Tori stopped in the middle of her tirade, catching the tone in her voice. She sounded like a five-year-old brat. Blushing, she averted Trina's stare and continued to sip on her tea. Both sisters sat in silence for a while, the only sound being the occasional plunge when Trina dipped the brush in more color.

"You're not back together with-" Trina began, but Tori immediately cut her off.

"No, oh God no!" she exclaimed, feeling as if bile was coming up her throat at the thought of being with Rider again. "HELL no."

Trina held her hands up in mock surrender.

"Okay, I get it," she said, her teasing tone causing Tori to go red again. "But SOMEONE is obviously bothering you. Is it Andre?"

"What? No," Tori said, confused. "Why would it be Andre?"

Trina just fixed her sister with a deadpan stare.

"What?" Tori asked.

"Never mind," Trina said, brushing off Tori's inquiry. "So, who's bothering you?"

"No one is bothering me," Tori said, a little too loudly. Trina fixed her sister with that same deadpan stare again.

"You know, lying to me isn't going to help you feel any better."

Tori said nothing, knowing her sister was right. For once. Trina continued on.

"Fine, don't tell me who it is. But, if you want my advice, I think you should just go for it."

"Go for what?" Tori asked, putting her tea on the coffee table and leaning in to listen to her sister. Trina shrugged.

"You know, it," she said, smiling slightly. "Just kiss them."

"Why would I do that?" Tori asked, her voice rising a few octaves, the words a little too close together. Trina looked at her, the smile on her face widening slightly.

"Ah, so you've already kissed them," her sister said, admiring her finished pedicure work. "Okay. Good. Well, that just makes it easier. You can just tell them."

"Tell them what?" Tori asked, the question almost desperate, as if her sister might have actually held the answer to the emotional hell that she had been going through lately.

"Tell them you like them?" Trina said, looking at her sister as if the answer should have been obvious. "Maybe go out on a date with them? Fool around with them?"

Tori blushed deeper, the heat of her embarrassment making her feel as if she were going to pass out. Trina didn't seem to notice, her brow furrowing as she observed Tori's toes.

"You know," she said, searching around in the small bag that she kept her nail polishes in, "We should probably change the color. Let's paint them red or something. Baby pink doesn't exactly say 'fuck me senseless.'"

"Trina!" Tori exclaimed, smacking her sister's hand away from the bag.

"What?" Trina asked, pulling her hand away and continuing to look. "It's the truth."

"I'm-"

"I know you're a virgin, Tori," Trina said, rolling her eyes. "But one day, you won't be. Hopefully one day soon, while you're still young. It might help you relax a little bit."

"I want to do that with someone who's special," Tori said, mumbling. She was embarrassed by her fairy tale like ideals, especially considering she was sharing them with her sister, who had seemed to lose those long ago. Trina looked at her, as if knowing what she was thinking. But instead of being offended, she leaned forward and took her little sister's hands.

"Tori," she said, her serious tone almost unnerving. "I know I'm not exactly the best person to look up to when it comes to relationships. And I'm not saying be like me. Not at all. I'm just saying it's okay, if you want to do that with somebody. And there's nothing wrong with it. Just because Rider was the way he was, doesn't mean people can't be different. So, you shouldn't think everyone's gonna be like him."

"I don't-"

"Yeah," Trina said, a sad smile gracing her face. "You really do."

Tori sat in silence and, as if this was her permission to continue, Trina carried on.

"Tori, I don't know what this guy you like did to make you mad. And don't pretend you don't like him, whoever he is, because you do," Trina said, cutting off her sister's imminent protest. "But everyone makes mistakes. We're human, you know? If you still like him, you should go for it. And I think you like him more than you think you do. You wouldn't be this pissed off if you didn't."

Trina released Tori's hands and proceeded to continue on her search for the red nail polish. Tori was lost in her own mind though, rehashing everything her big sister had just said to her. Her big sister, who she had taken care of so many times and picked up off of so many sidewalks. The drunken mess who Tori sometimes wanted to scream at instead of comfort. The girl who she resented because the roles of big sister and little sister were so often reversed. But all of that didn't matter right now; Right now, Trina was giving her the best advice she could give. And she was right.

"…it's complicated. With me and him, I mean," Tori said, observing the look of triumph on her sister's face as she finally pulled the nail polish she was looking for from the bag. Trina just shrugged as she rapidly tapped the tiny bottle against her palm.

"LIFE is complicated. And short. Why not do what you want now, and then think about it later? Might as well do what we can, while we can. Be happy while we can," Trina said. As a teasing afterthought, she added, "And have sex while we can."

"Shut up," Tori said, and both sisters began to laugh. It was a deep laugh, one that Tori felt resonating throughout her entire body. She felt some of the weight of the past couple weeks lifting off her shoulders. There was more to figure out, but right now, she was just grateful to have some light shed on the subject. And she had Trina to thank for that.

As both sisters straightened up, Trina shook the little red bottle out in front of her sister's face.

"Red?" she asked.

"Red," Tori agreed, settling back as Trina smiled.

oooooooooo

Beck sat at the table the following night, staring at his hand. He had a pair of aces and he felt confident he was going to win. However, this was about the only thing he was feeling confident about. He looked around, noticing Cat was biting her lip and Robbie's eyes kept darting back and forth rapidly across his hand. Andre had a smirk on his lips, but Beck could see right through him. He was going to fold. The only person Beck couldn't read was Tori.

She was leaning back in her chair, smiling a half smile as she held her cards straight out in front of her. Her face was impassive, not giving away anything about her hand at all. As if sensing his eyes on her, she looked up briefly to meet his stare. He wondered if she was still mad at him, but her face gave away no trace of malice. Though, he also knew she wasn't showing any signs of being too thrilled to see him, either. He'd been looking for one for the past two hours.

When he had first shown up at Andre's house, he had been nervous. Volunteering to come early and help Andre set up, he had enjoyed the easy conversation that had come between him and his friend. Robbie and Cat had arrived not too long after that, carrying food and two pitchers of drinks. Beck was pleasantly surprised at how pleased they were to see him, and even more so when they had all fallen into conversation together, as if they did this all the time. It had been a while, but Beck had found himself starting to relax, enjoying the company of the carefree people around him. All that seemed to go out the window though, when Tori stepped into the room.

The door had been open, and no one had heard her come in. So, when she appeared in the doorway, Beck's breath caught a bit in his throat. She was wearing a simple black dress, a red sweater, and black sandals, with her hair slightly curled and falling past her shoulders. He glanced over and saw Andre's eyes glaze over slightly before he snapped out of it.

"You're late," he said teasingly, walking over and rumpling her hair. Tori laughed, playfully slapping him away.

"I'm sorry, but I had to stop and buy-"

When she saw him, she stopped talking. Beck saw a look of discomfort cross her features for a second before she replaced it with a smile. No one would have seen it if they hadn't been looking for it.

"Beck," she said, clearly surprised to see him. "Hi. Um, what's up?"

The question clearly asked a different question. _What are you doing here?_

"I invited him," Andre said, grinning down at Tori. "I figure we got a little more room in our group, right Tor?"

"The more the merrier," Tori agreed, smiling towards Beck. He could feel her discomfort in the air, but Cat didn't seem to notice as she yawned loudly.

"Guys!" she whined, indicating towards the table. "It's game night. Can we please start playing cards? Robbie and I haven't done anything all day."

Robbie blushed and stammered a rebuttal to her statement. "Well, I wouldn't say we didn't do anything-"

"We smoked a lot of weed, but then Robbie fell asleep! I was so bored!" Cat complained, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. "So can we please do something?"

"Sounds good to me," Beck said, shooting Cat a bright smile, grateful for her bubbly personality. Cat's cheeks took on a slight blush, causing a frustrated flush to rise up Robbie's neck. Grabbing his girlfriend's hand, he stalked away to the table. Andre giggled.

"Dude," he said, clapping Beck on the back. "You gotta stop having that affect on girls. Right, Tori?" Tori shuffled her feet uncomfortably, looking down at her toenails, which were a lovely shade of red.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said quietly, walking over to the table as well. Andre just shrugged, and then he and Beck walked over to complete the circle and start the game.

"I'm all in," Beck said, holding his hand as if it were a precious gem. Cat took a sip from her margarita, pouting and sighing loudly before finally throwing her cards down.

"Fold!" she cried dramatically, draping herself on Robbie's shoulder. She was on the verge of drunk, while her boyfriend had already beaten her there.

"I fold too!" he yelled as he threw the cards down, covering his face with his hands. "Rex is gonna kill me."

"Don't start that shit, Robbie," Andre said, rolling his eyes as he lit up a bowl. He passed it to Tori, who took a giant hit of her own, coughing loudly. Andre rubbed her back to comfort her, and all Beck could focus on was how his hand lingered a little too long after he was done.

"You sure you're all in, Beck?" Andre asked, a goofy grin on his face, clearly indicating he was stoned. Beck just smirked at him, once again finding affection for the friend he had felt a surge of jealousy towards only minutes earlier. He asked a question in retaliation.

"You think you can beat me?" he asked. Andre cocked his head to the side, as if he saw a flash of something in Beck's eyes. But when his head leaned a little too far, Andre quickly placed it on the table, as if to steady himself.

"I'm high as fuck," he said, causing the whole table to burst into laughter before he relented and threw down his cards.

"You suck, man," Andre said, causing more giggles to erupt from Cat. Finally, this only left Beck and Tori, eyes locked across the table. Beck attempted to break the ice.

"So, you all in? Or do you fold?"

Tori stared, her eyes boring into his. He was enjoying having her full and steady attention for once, even over the smallest thing.

"I think you're lying about how good your cards are," she said, a small smirk playing on her mouth. Beck couldn't help but feel elated at the small comment, relieved that she was going along with the conversation. They both had only had one drink all night, making excuses to their friends about obligations they had the next day. But the truth was blatant in their lies, at least to the other one. They didn't trust themselves around each other intoxicated.

"I never lie," he said, and at that moment he knew their gaze became more intense. He saw it in her eyes; she was thinking about all the things he had ever said to her, wondering which ones were the truth. She was thinking about what he had said to her the night they had slept next to each other. She was thinking about what he had said to her in the library. And he wanted her to know that all he wanted at that moment was to clear things up. Explain things. He had so much to tell her, and he hoped that maybe, maybe, she had things to tell him too.

Tori bit her lip, staring down at her cards, then at him again. She then pushed all her chips to the center.

"I'm all in," she told him. Beck couldn't help but be surprised, and Tori took that opportunity to pounce.

"Scared?" she asked in a low, mocking voice.

"Never," he retaliated, throwing down his cards. "Pair of aces." Tori stared at her cards for a few seconds before finally placing down her own hand. A pair of sevens. The tension finally broke at the table, Cat gathering up everybody's cards.

"Deal again?" she asked, taking the bowl from Tori and taking a hit.

"Let's take a little break," Andre said, rising from his chair and stretching. "I wanna get some more food. And I have to check in with my grandma, anyway."

"I actually have to use the bathroom anyway," Beck said, excusing himself from the table.

"Can I actually go first, Beck?" Robbie asked, rising up quickly and bumping his knee.

"Sure," Beck said, watching as the other boy stumbled up the stairs clumsily. Cat looked from him, to Beck, to Tori, and then back up to the stairs where Robbie had disappeared. She wriggled her eyebrows, causing Tori to roll her eyes.

"Cat-"

"I have to go to the bathroom, too!" Cat said, jumping up and running up the stairs. Beck and Tori were left alone. He wanted to talk to her, but soon, Andre's conversation with his grandmother grew louder from the kitchen, making that impossible.

"Walk with me?' he asked her, indicating towards the balcony. She didn't say anything for a couple minutes, but soon, eventually rose and walked out there. He trailed behind her slowly until they both reached the rail, looking out at the dark. Neither of them said anything for a while.

"Tori," Beck said, saying her name slowly so she could cut him off if she wanted to. She didn't, so he continued/ "I'm really sorry about how I acted the other day."

"You didn't do anything," Tori said quietly, sighing as she leaned into the rail. "I overreacted. Like I said, it's none of my business what you're doing with your life."

"It kind of is," Beck said, the words leaving his lips before he realized the implications of what he had said. Tori turned to him, her face confused.

"Why would it be?" she asked, and behind the curiosity was something else. Sadness.

"You're my project partner?" he offered lamely, knowing that it was not enough of an answer to give. But it was the only one he could give her, at least right now. She smiled, slightly amused.

"Oh, yeah. That."

Slowly, he reached his hand out and placed it over hers. It was warm, even warmer when she turned her palm up so it pressed against his. They didn't lace their fingers or squeeze, but the simple act spoke volumes.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you," he whispered, not even noticing that he was stepping closer to her. "I would never want to do that. I would never hurt you." She chuckled, shaking her head slightly.

"You barely know me," she said.

"I wanna know you more," he admitted, and then looked her in the eye to ask his next question. "Do you want to know me more, too?" She gave him a once over, and then, as if deciding he was good enough, answered him.

"Yes."

One word, and suddenly so many walls had come down between them. Beck noticed there was something different about the way she was carrying herself. Almost as if she had figured something out, something he hadn't. Before he could ask about it, she turned to ask him another question.

"What do you even want to know about me?" she asked him. He thought back to sitting on the couch with her, all the simple questions he had asked her. It came so naturally, and yet it was like there wasn't enough time in the world.

"I don't know," he admitted. "But I'm leaning towards everything." Her breath caught in her throat at his statement.

"I bet you don't even remember my favorite color," she said, her laugh a little shaky.

"Purple. Now what's mine?"

"Black," she retorted quickly. She looked surprised that she had remembered that so quickly, and he smiled at her.

"So…" he said, knowing that their time was limited before their friends would be ready to resume Game Night. "We should go out tomorrow."

"Go out?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah. I want to take you out."

"To do what?"

"Whatever you want," he said, smiling at her and causing her to blush. "I just want to talk to you." Tori looked contemplative and then looked away.

"This sounds like a date," she said quietly, the tone in her voice unreadable.

"I guess."

"But it's not a date," she said, looking up at him with a certain resolve. "Because you have a girlfriend. Who you've been with for two years and who you love. So, it's not a date, right?"

Beck shifted uncomfortably, but at the same time admired her honesty.

"Right," he agreed with her. "I guess… we can call it an opposite date?" Tori smiled, trying her best to ignore the impending questions of their situation. For once, she wanted to follow Trina's advice. Act now. Think later.

"I'm gonna tell you something," Tori said, stepping closer to him and shattering the realms of personal space. "But it's a secret, and you're not allowed to say anything back, okay?" The look in her eyes made it clear that she was serious, and Beck did not want her to think he didn't see that.

"Okay," he agreed.

She kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing herself into him, willing every curve of her body to contort and fit. And in some odd way, it did. She'd never felt more that she had been molded to fit someone in her life. Beck wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, making it so that there was no space between them at all. Some part of him just wanted her to push into him completely, melt over his bones and just fuse with him. It would make him feel more sane, and considering how much she was on his mind, it seemed appropriate.

Tori felt brave this time, which surprised her, considering she was the most sober she had been for of any of their encounters. But she was also the most honest she had been. She did want to know him, despite the small voice of reason in the back of her mind telling her this probably wasn't the greatest of ideas. That voice was nothing, though, compared to how Beck made her feel. Her attraction to him physically and the connection they made when they talked trumped all reasoning for her. She wanted to know him, and she was so happy that he wanted to know her, too. That was enough for now.

She pulled away from him, both of their breathing labored, and glanced over her shoulder. She could still hear Andre speaking to his grandmother loudly from the kitchen, and Robbie and Cat were not back from their bathroom breaks. They were left alone, in their own little world, again. So, as Tori smiled at him and leaned in for one more kiss, she whispered the secret against his lips, hoping that he'd breath it in and keep it close to his heart.

"I like you."

ooooooo

Hi everybody! I'm so sorry for the long time it took me to update, but school was crazy and honestly, some writer's block played a factor. This chapter kind of set a lot of things up for the future, and from here on out, there is going to be more explicit sexual content (although I know that's not a bad thing, haha). I'm on spring break right now so I'm working on a new chapter to be put out before I go back to school on the 18th. Thanks again for everyone who supports my story **PLEASE REVIEW**. It's a drive to get the story out faster, ya know? :0).


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